Heylin Dragon
by Aubrie1234
Summary: Jack really didn't have any friends. Sure, he was chummy with the Heylin side and frenemies with the Xiaolin Dragons, but no one really liked him. He turned to his robots, but they were only good for so long. He needed a living friend, someone who actually cared and wasn't caused by an emotion chip or a Shen Gong Wu, and he gets it, but at a cost no one realizes... (OC Ryudamon)
1. Caretaker Jack?

Heylin Dragon

By: Aubrie1234

* * *

"Sir?" _Poke, poke, poke._

"Mmphgh!" Jack swatted away the thing that was trying to wake him up.

"Master Jack, sir, something's happened." _Poke, poke, poke._

"Mmph!" Jack swatted the thing away again.

"Master Jack, don't make me resort to unpleasant measures." Jack slept on, happy to be left alone. There was a mechanical sigh, "I hope I don't get dismantled for this..." The Jackbot turned away and hovered over to the unused Wakebot, turning it on. Jack had made it a while back to help him get up at earlier times but had never used it. It looked like a small snake sitting upright with a clock on its belly, but once it was on, its eyes lit up, blinked, and looked around. It stared at Jack, then checked the time on its belly. It was 9:02 and the Wakebot proceeded to give an angry screech and jump on Jack's bed, thrashing about and waking up the teenage genius, not to mention thrashing so much that Jack got tossed in the floor.

"What the hell?! I thought you were turned off!" Jack, kneeling on the floor, pointed at the Wakebot accusingly after screaming in surprise. It hissed and pointed at the Jackbot with its tail, where Jack turned his glare to the robot.

"JB-23, why did you do that?! I was trying to get some sleep!"

"I'm sorry, sir, but something has happened that you need to see." This got Jack's attention.

"Don't tell me the monks broke into the cabinet again..." he groaned. JB-23 shook its head.

"No sir. It's something much," JB-23 scanned its vocabulary databank for an appropriate word, "_weirder_ than that." Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing's weirder than the monks stealing from the bad guys, but what the heck." Jack gave another glare to the Wakebot, "Be glad my parents are on another trip or you'd be dismantled by now." The Wakebot gave another hiss, "Why did I ever build you, anyway?" If it could have, the Wakebot would've shrugged. As it was, it gave another evil-sounding hiss that made Jack yelp and get to his feet, moving away from the vicious bot. In doing so, he put JB-23 between himself and the Wakebot, using the Jackbot as a shield.

"Remind me to permanently dismantle Wakebot later." Jack whispered.

"Dutifully noted, Master Jack." noted JB-23. With a parting screech from the Wakebot, Jack and JB-23 hightailed it out of there, heading down to the lab. In front of the door was a Jackbot, who saluted Jack as he came closer. After one too many villains (mainly Katnappé) came in through the door, he'd finally had one of his Jackbots guard it. Didn't actually stop the villains from getting in other ways (or the monks) but it made him feel safer. As it was, it moved out of his way to allow him to go in, and when he stepped onto the landing, he stopped in his tracks.

"That," he began weakly, "is one. Big. Egg."

"Yes sir." agreed JB-23, "When we powered up this morning, we found it sitting on your worktable and tried to analyze it, but our scanners shorted out soon after we did so. It seems to have some sort of electrical field around it, so we haven't touched it in fear of shorting out."

"Is it even alive?" Jack wondered as he stepped down the stairs to get closer to the giant egg. It was as big as one of his Jackbots and colored a light orange with black, purple, and red spots all over it.

"The electrical field prevented us from checking." JB-23 looked sheepish (or as much as a Jackbot could look sheepish), "You'll have to examine it yourself, sir."

"Great." Jack sighed, "Do we even _have_ any medical tools?"

"Yes sir." Jack blinked as JB-23 hovered over to one of the various cabinets and opened it to reveal a stethoscope and various other medical supplies, "Your mother thought these might get you interested in being a doctor or something."

"Of course she would." Jack rolled his eyes, "Just hand me the stethoscope and the thermometer and I'll handle the rest." He turned to the giant egg and put his hands on it. It felt warm, so that meant it wasn't dead yet, right? He just hoped that no one decided to come 'knocking' while he had the egg. Sure, he didn't know how it got there or what it was, but he couldn't just give it up. If he could make money off whatever was inside, he'd love it like it was one of his own robots (with the exception of Wakebot).

"The thermometer?" asked JB-23, confused.

"I need to check its temperature and I don't have a proper way to do it right now." said the teenage genius. JB-23 didn't say anything more and handed to objects to Jack. First the albino boy checked for a heartbeat using the stethoscope and quickly found one, which didn't seem to be beating too fast or slow. He then checked the temperature with the thermometer around the middle of the egg and found it to be around 95 degrees. He turned to his Jackbot and asked, "Is 95 degrees a good temperature for an egg to hatch?" JB-23 zoomed through his database to check.

"I'm not sure, sir. It depends on the egg. But I believe it would be safe in the 92-100 range."

"Alright." Jack handed the instruments back to the Jackbot before taking a seat on a chair beside the worktable, "Any idea how it got here in the first place?"

"No sir." JB-23 shook its head, "The cameras were even checked, and it seems they shorted out for a small time last night before the egg appeared then fixed themselves."

"So someone might have interfered with the cameras for a short time to put the egg in here, but why? Who the hell wanted to give me this?" Jack gestured to the egg, accidentally hitting it and making it wobble. Before he could grab it, JB-23 did so and they both gave sighs of relief when the robot steadied it. Jack kept his hands to himself as he went on, "Don't they know that I'm the _worst _person to be considered a caretaker?"

"Perhaps that was the point." JB-23 reasoned. Jack gave the robot a look.

"For that, maybe I should appoint you as nanny. You don't seem to have shorted out after touching the egg and I have better things to do that to take care of an egg." Jack looked away, "And, like you said, I might just kill it anyway."

"Yes sir." JB-23 gave a bow, "I will do my best to make sure the egg hatches."

"Uh," Jack had taken a surprised look on his face as he pointed at the egg, "I think it's already doing that." JB-23 turned to see that Jack was right. Even though it was in the middle of a big, steady table, it was wobbling this way and that, ready to fall over if need be. Both jumped when they heard it begin to crack and Jack wondered what kind of luck he had to deserve this just as the egg suddenly began to glow brightly, there was another large crack, and then the light was gone. There was no trace of the egg, but in its place was a small creature that looked like a miniature narwhal. It was orange and had the same body structure, it had a single red, cone-shaped horn on its head, and big green eyes.

"Fu!" it squeaked, wiggling a little, "Fu!"

"Um, sir? What should I do?"

"Just- Just pick it up, JB-23." Jack didn't really know what to do, either, and very nearly fainted at what happened next. When JB-23 tried to pick up the small creature, it slipped from the robot's grip and began to float in the air, doing some sort of giggle. Giving a sigh, Jack stood up and waved JB-23 away, deciding to try and handle this himself, hoping that the creature would respond better to him that it had with the Jackbot. It squeaked in surprise when Jack got a gentle hold on it and wiggled, trying to get out of his grip. His gloves helped him keep a grip on the tiny monster, so it tried to jab at him with its horn, but Jack was surprised to find it soft and bendable, so it didn't hurt at all. He took it into his arms, trying to show the creature he meant no harm.

"Hey, it's okay." he murmured. In only a minute or two, he had fallen for the monster and he almost couldn't believe it. He was supposed to be an evil boy genius, damn it! The creature blinked, then made a grouchy face, puffed cheeks and all. Jack found it cute, and he hated that. So did the monster, apparently, as it tried to jab at him again with its horn.

"Fu! Fufufu!" it cried.

"Stop that!" Jack tried to hold the creature still.

"FU!"

"I'll take that as a 'no...'" Eventually he got the tiny thing under control and found it yawning in his arms, sleepy. He couldn't help but smile as it fell asleep.

"Master Jack?"

"Hmm?" Jack looked up to see JB-23 still hovering there, unsure of what to do. The albino sighed, "Oh great. I've got a baby animal to take care of now, don't I?"

"I suppose, sir."

"Well, don't just hover there! Try finding out what this thing is and what it eats!" Jack sat in his chair again, "And maybe get some formula. I don't know if it drinks milk or not, but it might be helpful."

"Yes sir." JB-23 saluted before going away. Jack glanced down at the creature again as it slept.

"You're a lot of trouble, you know that?" he whispered. There was no response. Shaking his head, the boy genius took a hand away to drag his toolbox closer and try to work on his newest project one-handed. He hoped nothing would go wrong.

* * *

It was just an hour later when the creature woke up again and demanded to be attended to, so Jack was once again glad his parents were gone for the time being as he climbed the stairs of his lair and headed towards the kitchen. There had been no success from JB-23 or the other Jackbots on what the creature was, so Jack only hoped that he wasn't about to feed the little guy some poison. On the kitchen table was a small spread of assorted things, such as meat, fruit, bread, and so on. Immediately the creature floated out of Jack's hands and attacked everything, especially the meat, gobbling it all up in seconds.

"You sure were a hungry little thing, weren't ya?" Jack commented as he watched the monster eat through everything it could get its mouth on.

"Fu!" it said, then went back to eating. That didn't last long as the creature began to glow and Jack (after putting on his goggles) watched in amazement as it grew and changed form. When the light was gone, the creature now looked like a serpent of some sort, like Nessie but without the long neck. It had four small flippers along its body, a gray-brown belly stripe that ran from its jaw to the end of the tail, and six spikes on its head. Four were tipped red while the top two were tipped purple and swiveled like ears. It still had large green eyes, but around them was something like eyeliner, making a slash mark over its eyes, and Jack felt like it sorta looked like him with the markings. It blinked, then began eating again, except faster this time.

"Thanks for the food!" it said suddenly with a male voice, raising his head from the buffet while a drumstick hung out of the side of his mouth, "You're nicer than any human I've met before."

"...What?" Jack didn't expect it to talk, "You can talk?!"

"Yes, I can." He blinked, "Oh, you don't know what's going on, right?"

"Not really..." The monster nodded.

"Uh, just let me finish and I'll tell you everything."

"Okay..." Jack took a seat as the creature finished eating.

"Uh, do you have a napkin?" he asked once finished, waving his front flippers.

"Sure, hold still." A Jackbot handed him a napkin and the albino carefully rubbed the mess away around the creature's mouth, "There."

"Thanks. So… What do you wanna know first?"

"What are you?"

"I'm a Digimon." His top spikes twitched, "I'm basically part of a race of digital monsters that come from computers. Specifically, I'm a Kyokyomon right now. Digimon can change form if they have enough energy or if they're in danger, so thanks for the snack."

"No problem." Jack said, "What were you before?"

"A Fufumon. As babies, we can't talk, y'know."

"Right." Jack blinked, "How am I taking this so well?" Kyokyomon shrugged, or as much as he could with flippers for hands.

"I don't know, you tell me. And uh, what's your name?"

"Jack. Jack Spicer." Kyokyomon smiled.

"Hi, Jack Jack Spicer." Jack snickered at that.

"No, it's just Jack. Spicer is my last name, you don't have to use it."

"Okay. Well, my name is Senshi. Thanks for helping me, Jack."

"No problem." Jack raised a hand, then hesitated, "Is it okay if I pet you?"

"Sure." Senshi lowered his head, and Jack rubbed it, finding the digimon to be scale-less and slightly fuzzy, completely opposite of what Jack had felt before, when the creature was slippery and soft.

"Any idea how you got here, then? You said you come from computers, so you must have come through mine, but how?"

"Uh..." Senshi thought back, "I don't know." He shook his head.

"Can you go back into the computer?"

"I don't know how."

"Alright." Jack took his hand away and rested it under his chin, trying to think. He soon snapped his fingers and said, "Hey, why don't you stay with me, then? I'll keep you safe and fed, you just might need to help me with some things. How does that sound?"

"Sure." Senshi nodded.

"Then let's go back to my lair. I still need to work on things." Jack stood up and moved to pick up Senshi, but the digimon dodged and floated into the air.

"It's okay, I can get there on my own. You lead the way."

"Okay..?" Jack did so and Senshi followed, his flippers flapping through the air and moving along at a decent pace. In fact, he was almost outpacing Jack, who pulled the digimon back by his tail to get to the lab first, but Senshi just grew in length and couldn't help but laugh at the look on Jack's face.

"When threatened, Kyokyomons can stretch themselves to almost nine times their length!"

"I bet you can't beat me in a race, then!"

"Hey!" Senshi frantically waved his flippers to catch up to the running Jack.

_Just what have I gotten myself into?_ Jack thought to himself, _And maybe there's a way to get Senshi to help me win the Shen Gong Wu back from those Xiaolin losers! So maybe this won't be so bad after all. I mean, he's keeping me from being lonely…_

* * *

_**Why do I keep making chapters to stories like this while I have others I need to finish? *sigh* Anyway, I've actually been into Xiaolin Showdown for a long time and this is my first story for it, so I hope you guys like it. Any OOCness or things that don't fit, tell me and I'll fix it. Also, please read & review!**_

_**Notes:**_

_**1\. Fufumon, Kyokyomon, and Ryudamon are actual digimon and but I couldn't find them or their digivolutions under the character options, so I tried to fit it in the best I could.**_

_**2\. Wakebot is something I came up with to start the story and makes me laugh.**_

_**3\. Senshi is Japanese for 'warrior' (as stated by Google Translate), but if it's wrong, tell me and I'll fix it.**_


	2. Bits and Pieces

Heylin Dragon

By: Aubrie1234

* * *

Senshi watched as Jack worked on robotic parts. It had been a few days since the boy genius had met him and not much had happened. Jack had tried giving Senshi Wakebot's bed (the robot refused to be dismantled and now roamed the house somewhere, to Jack's horror), but the digimon didn't quite feel comfortable with it. However, he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth and so he took the bed. That made him think for a second.

"Why do you do this?" Senshi asked.

"Do what?" asked Jack, focused on the robot in front of him.

"This." Senshi gestured to said robot, "You treat them like royalty. Why?" Jack glanced at the digimon.

"Well..." the teen frowned, "I don't really have any friends, even when I was a kid. I had to make my own." Slowly, Senshi nodded.

"I see. Is there a reason why?" Jack snorted.

"There are _plenty_ of reasons." Jack listed them on his fingers, "I'm crazy rich, I'm albino, I'm a tech genius, I lack social skills..." He shook his head, "I was just kinda destined not to have any friends." Senshi tilted his head.

"I understood only three of those. What's 'albino?'" The teen stared at the digimon for a second and when Senshi kept staring back at him, Jack sighed.

"You really don't know, huh." He rolled up one of his sleeves, "You see how my skin's so pale? How I have red eyes? Albinism is a condition where you lack the color that everyone else has, leaving you with pale skin, pale hair, and red eyes."

"Oh. But why's your hair red, then?"

"I dyed it. I thought it would make people like me better. They just hated me more, but I decided to embrace it and added onto it." Jack gave a small chuckle, "It's why I look like a goth."

"Goth?"

"Oh boy..." Jack then had to explain to Senshi what a goth was, among a few other things. For a creature that could talk, he lacked a lot of knowledge about a few human things.

"...Humans are weird." Senshi summed up when Jack finished.

"You said it." The teen stood up to do something but then hissed as his legs were seized with pain and he nearly fell. Senshi took to the air as his flippers waved in a frenzy of panic, both in trying not to get crushed and worried for Jack. Thankfully, he landed back in the chair without a scratch, where he put his hands on his legs and tried to massage them.

"What's wrong?" asked the lizard digimon worriedly.

"Neuropathy." Jack hissed. He didn't say anything else until the pain eased and he sighed in relief. He saw the look on Senshi's face and went on, "It's a medical condition that keeps me from doing anything really strenuous like martial arts because I get cramps and muscle-weakness at any time. That was just a flare up." Senshi landed on the table and gave the human a sad stare.

"Is there anything you can do to get rid of it?" Jack shook his head.

"No. There are pain medications that help deal with it, but it'll never go away."

"I'm sorry, Jack." The teen looked surprised.

"Why? It's not your fault that this happened." Jack glanced away angrily, "That was because of my parents. But anyway," He waved it off, "could you hand me my tweezers?"

"The tiny pointy things you use to pick up other tiny things?"

"That's right." Senshi grabbed the item in his mouth and handed it to Jack. Senshi tried to watch the human work, but he was more focused on Jack's well-being at the moment. Even though Jack said there was nothing he could do, he wanted to help. Maybe there was another way to help that Jack didn't know of? He was interrupted as a Jackbot came in.

"Master Jack?"

"Yeah, JB-36?"

"The Xiaolin Warriors are approaching." Jack gave an irritated sigh.

"Not again."

"Who are they?" Senshi asked.

"I'll tell you later. JB-36, where are they right now?"

"Past the wall, sir. Quickly approaching this location."

"Don't engage them." Jack glanced at Senshi, "Enact plan 236b, acquisition: Senshi." The Jackbot saluted.

"Yes sir." The Jackbot picked up Senshi, causing the digimon to squeak.

"Jack!" he exclaimed.

"It's okay, just be quiet and do what JB-36 says." Senshi was ready to protest but found his mouth covered by the Jackbot's claws. JB-36 then took him into a nearby closet in the basement, the doors slit so that light could shine in, allowing them to see out. Senshi wiggled in the robot's grip, uncomfortable. JB-36 was unresponsive to his plight and so Senshi stopped, focusing on what was happening outside the closet. Jack had gone back to work but upstairs he could hear crashes and bangs, indicating something going on. Eventually the door at the top of the stairs banged open and in came more humans.

"Jack Spicer!" exclaimed the smallest, "You are not tricking us this time!"

"You said that last time, but you still took the fake Monkey Staff." said Jack.

"Can we help it if you made a really good replica?" said the girl.

"And can I help it if I wanna have at least one Shen Gong Wu to myself? Nope, since you guys wanna have all the Shen Gong Wu to yourselves!"

"We're trying to protect the Shen Gong Wu!" the skinny boy said.

"It's not like I'm using the staff, though, is it? Can't you just let me keep it if I don't even use it?"

"Sorry, Jack, no can do." The largest shook his head. Jack groaned and sat back in his chair.

"Just try finding it, then. Please don't trash my lab." They ignored the second half of his statement and proceeded to create a mess looking for the 'Shen Gong Wu,' whatever it was. Senshi narrowed his eyes as his ear-fins twitched angrily. He already disliked these people. And when they seemed to be unable to find what they wanted, they left, vowing to return soon enough. When they were gone, Jack gave a sigh as other Jackbots came forward and began to clean up the lab. JB-36 came out of the closet and let go of Senshi, who floated to Jack.

"What was that about?" he demanded, "Why did they do this?"

"Technically, they're the 'good guys' in this scenario, but you wouldn't see that from their actions." Jack began, "A long time ago, there were these mystical artifacts, called Shen Gong Wu. They were created as a force of good, but after the defeat of a certain witch, they were scattered across the world and hidden. Those four were the Xiaolin Warriors, who use the Wu for good and protect them. I'm on the 'bad guy' side, called the Heylin, and we try to use the Wu to take over the world. I haven't really been doing it recently, though."

"But you still have one?"

"Yeah, the Monkey Staff. Apparently it's one of the few the Warriors don't have and they want it back to 'protect' it." Jack made quotations in the air as he said the word.

"Then why don't you give it to them?"

"Because I'm not using the Wu for evil at all. It's the only one I've gotten to keep so far, so why shouldn't I get to keep it? All I use it for anymore is having a good time if I get a little depressed." Senshi gave a slow nod.

"I can understand that." He looked around, "For all the good they're supposed to be, the Warriors don't like to be good."

"You said it." Jack went back to work on his project. Senshi waited for a moment, not wanting to interrupt him again, but there was one more question the digimon had.

"And what was that plan you used? What was it for?" Jack paused.

"Actually, that plan wasn't made with you in mind. It was for someone else. It's supposed to tell my Jackbots to protect and hide someone until the threat is over. If the Warriors knew about you, that's just one more thing they'd wanna take from me." Jack stretched out a hand to rub Senshi's head, "You're new to this world and I don't want anything bad happening to you. Sure, I might not teach you good things, but it's better than having a traumatic experience."

"Thanks, Jack." Senshi then proceeded to help Jack with his project as much as he could.

* * *

That night, Senshi went up to Jack's room with him. In his time in this world, he'd learned a lot thanks to Jack and didn't want to impose more upon him, but he didn't like sleeping in Wakebot's bed. Every time he did, he felt like the small robot was waiting to pounce. As Jack got ready for bed, Senshi shifted in the air uncomfortably, wanting to ask something of him but not sure if he should. The teenage genius eventually took notice of this.

"Something wrong?"

"Not really." There was a pause.

"Then why aren't you getting ready for bed? Is something bothering you?"

"A little." Senshi admitted, "Wakebot scares me."

"Wakebot scares everyone."

"Well, I always think it's out to get me while I'm sleeping in its bed." Jack gave a slow nod.

"I understand. You can sleep in my bed with me if you want. I mean, I've got the space." Jack gestured to his large bed.

"That'd be nice, thank you." Senshi flew over and curled up on one of the sets of pillows. Jack took the other side of the bed, "And Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't think much of this, but digimon don't always get along with humans. At least, not from what I know. But you're a nice human, no matter what anyone says. Thank you for taking care of me."

"No problem." Jack rubbed the digimon's head again, "Goodnight." He turned over and the room plunged into darkness. Senshi laid on the pillow, trying not to fall asleep as his ear-flaps twitched, listening. Eventually Jack began to snore and so he took to the air again, sneaking out of the room and down to the lab. He avoided the Jackbots as best he could before sneaking into the lab. Unlike the rest of the house, it was empty and so Senshi could set to work. He floated to sit in one of Jack's chairs and swiveled over to a computer. He touched it with his nose and the computer lit up, spasming a little from the digital contact before a search engine popped up. Senshi strengthened his fins, stiffening them enough so that they could punch in keys, and types in the name of a digimon. After pressing 'Search,' the computer went blank for a moment before changing. It looked like it had opened a new video chat.

"What is it?" came a grumble.

"Hey, it's me, Senshi." He looked around cautiously, "I can't talk long, but I need you to send me a program."

"Of what? And where in the Digital World are you?"

"Not important." Senshi waved off the question, "Can you make a program that fixes neuropathy?"

"Maybe, if you could tell me what it was." Senshi rolled his eyes.

"I told you, I don't have a lot of time, so can you look it up and help me?"

"For the right price, sure."

"Datamon..."

"Fine, fine, but you owe me one."

"Thanks." Senshi smiled, "Just send something soon." And with that, he bid goodbye to his friend and touched the screen with his nose again, returning it to normal.

* * *

The next morning, Jack wasn't surprised to wake up from Wakebot and finding himself mostly alone in his house once again. It was not unusual for him to wake and only have his robots. Glancing over, he smiled when he saw Senshi still curled up and waking from Wakebot's ruckus. The robot hissed before slithering out of the room and Jack was not going after it, no way.

"What was that?" Senshi yawned.

"An angry Wakebot."

"Oh." He blinked sleepily, "Is it breakfast yet?"

"Yeah, Senshi. C'mon." Jack picked up the digimon and they went downstairs. But as they went down the stairs, Jack felt a tingle that he knew he was about to be seized by pain again and quickly thought of what to do.

"Jackbots!" He reached out to grab the banister but it was too late. Arms and legs were attacked by the sudden pain and he was falling forward until he wasn't. Something was blocking him from falling down the stairs, appearing out of nowhere. He didn't really focus on it until the pain finally subsided, finding himself sitting on the steps, Jackbots hovering worriedly as he leaned against a creature. His hands were empty and he remembered how Senshi had changed form before, so was this the digimon?

"You okay?" asked the creature. It was a stocky little dragon, probably the same height as Omi, and had orange fur, green eyes, black and purple samurai-like armor, and a red-haired ponytail.

"Yeah." Jack gave a slow nod, "Senshi?"

"Yep." The digimon smiled, "You save me, I save you." Jack blinked, then looked past him. It would've been a long fall if Senshi hadn't gotten in the way.

"Thanks." Putting his hands on the digimon's armored back, he got to his feet. Dismissing his Jackbots, Senshi walked beside him as they made their way down the stairs. When they got into the kitchen, once Jack was sitting down, Senshi jumped onto the table in one leap and sat down, facing Jack. They were quiet, even as Jackbots served them food.

"You could've just let me fall, let the Jackbots catch me." Jack said, "Why didn't you?"

"Like I said, you save me, I save you. I know not all humans are nice, but that's what you've been to me. You're my friend and I'm not letting you get hurt if I can help it." Jack smiled.

"Thanks, Senshi. You're the best." Jack rubbed the digimon's head, on the crown of the helmet, and realized that, it this form, Senshi could probably help him fight for the Shen Gong Wu. But should he use this newfound friendship like that? Well, that's how Wuya used his friendship, but he wasn't the same as her. He actually had a heart. But that didn't mean he couldn't ask Senshi for help every now and then.

* * *

_**So, the idea of Jack's neuropathy comes from a fic on this site, called **_**Scale of Hong_ by Crystallic Sky. Hopefully I can write more for this story, now that I have a good idea of where it's gonna go. So, please read & review!_**


	3. And You Can Play My Game-

Heylin Dragon

By: Aubrie1234

* * *

"Jack?"

"Yeah, Senshi?"

"You mentioned parents when you talked about your neuropathy. What exactly are 'parents?'" Jack stared at the digimon, distracted from trying to work on installing a backseat in his jet for Senshi.

"...Please tell me that is a joke." Senshi shook his head.

"No, I really don't know what 'parents' are."

"Well, _this _is gonna be one hell of an awkward conversation..." Jack began, then tried to explain what 'parents' were. It was harder than it looked and by the end, Senshi looked even more confused, maybe even a little horrified?

"So what you're telling me is that you come from two other humans and they take care of you? They _made_ you?!"

"Yeah, why is that so disturbing to you? Is it because you've never heard of the concept?"

"Not really, no." Senshi shook his head again, "The second we hatch, we're on our own. But if your parents are supposed to care for you, where are they?" Jack rolled his eyes.

"Out of the house, as usual." he huffed, "I'm not gonna be blunt about this, Senshi: my parents are awful. They hate me. Honestly, I'm better off alone, even if I do miss them sometimes. But that's why I've got Jackbots, to keep me company."

"Is that why you see yourself on the Heylin side?"

"No way." Jack shook his head, "You've got that wrong. I've always wanted to be bad. I mean, I once made a robot out of Mom's juicer. I've kidnapped people. _I nearly ruled the world once_."

"But you're not that bad a person."

"Just because I'm not bad to people doesn't mean I can't be evil. The best villains are the nicest ones."

"Like who?" Senshi was skeptical.

"Chase Young is a very honorable guy and he's nice. Sometimes."

"'Sometimes.'" Senshi noted, "I'll believe it when I meet the guy, which I hope is never."

"And it seems like you may not get your wish." Both Jack and Senshi jumped at the new voice. Senshi began to growl and crouched, ready to fight, which Jack stood up. Chase himself stepped out of the shadows, eyeing Senshi warily but not with more than a hint of contempt.

"C-Chase. What are you doing here?"

"I came because I wanted to. But what exactly are you?" Chase directed the second half to Senshi.

"None of your business." snapped the digimon, hopping down from the table to stand between the two. Chase raised an eyebrow.

"It's okay." Jack assured, "Senshi, he won't hurt me."

"As I said, I'll believe it when I see it." Chase smirked.

"Then how about this?" Before their eyes Chase changed into his dragon form before roaring at the two. Jack yelped and hid in his jet while Senshi only narrowed his eyes. Chase gave a rumble of surprise.

**"You are not scared?"**

"I've seen worse than you." Chase stared at the digimon as he returned to his human form, an eyebrow now raised.

"I will admit, I am somewhat impressed you do not fear me. Or you are stupid enough to not realize the danger you are in."

"Senshi, please don't make him angry." Jack hissed from the safety of the jet, "An angry Chase is a terrifying Chase."

"Well, I don't care why you're here!" Senshi snapped, "Just leave us alone!"

"Then why not attack me to make me leave?"

"I never make the first move. I'm wiser than that."

"That you are." Chase nodded, "Very well. I will visit later, I suppose. Goodbye, Spicer and Senshi, is it?" Chase gave them a nod before walking back into the shadows and disappearing. Senshi double-checked the area before confirming that Chase was gone and hopping back onto the table.

"Are you _trying_ to get us killed?!" Jack snarled as he crawled out of the jet.

"I didn't trust him and didn't want you getting hurt."

"Yeah, but he could've trounced you like nothing if he wanted!" Senshi winced when Jack slammed his hands on the table, "I don't think you understand how _dangerous _Chase is. No matter how powerful you think you are, he's likely to be moreso."

"How would you know?" Senshi growled, adjusting himself so that he stood taller, "You don't know how strong I am!"

"And I'm not willing to take that risk! Just try not to get into another scrap with Chase, okay?" Jack turned away to continue working on the jet. Before he could start again, a device on the hood began to beep, "Great, just great."

"What's that?"

"It's my Wu Detector. It looks like a Shen Gong Wu's been activated." Jack got back in the jet, "I've gotta go get it, so-"

"Oh no you don't!" Quick as lightning Senshi hopped into the empty space where the extra seat was supposed to be, "You're not going anywhere without me!"

"Fine." Jack gave an irritated sigh before they took off. Senshi couldn't help but stare out the windows in awe as they flew. Jack noticed this, "Haven't you ever been in the sky before?"

"Yeah, but usually there are blocks of data or things floating up here too. Right now, it's just so..._clear_."

"That sounds a lot more interesting than our sky. Like, a lot more things to avoid, but I bet it would look so cool." Silence enveloped them once again as Jack flew on. Eventually he landed in a large field.

"Where are we?"

"Just outside Springfield, Colorado." Jack got out. Senshi made to follow but was stopped when the cockpit window came down on him, "You are staying right here, do you understand? It's bad enough Chase knows about you, I don't want anyone else knowing too. And I don't care how strong you say you are, you're not getting in the middle of a fight you don't know you can win. That's my job."

"But how are you supposed to fight?" Senshi asked, hitting the window with his claws.

"Wu, but since I don't have any on me, I'm going old-school." Jack snapped his fingers and from the recesses of the jet came a small army of Jackbots.

"Jack, please-"

"No, Senshi. Just stay put." He turned away, "Things'll be fine." Senshi doubted that but was unable to get out and so was forced to watch Jack leave him behind. He didn't have to wait long, however, for Jack was back in less than an hour and with considerably less Jackbots.

"Don't say anything." Jack said as he got in.

"Wasn't going to." Senshi observed Jack's demeanor before concluding that he hadn't gotten to the Wu or lost it in a fight. He settled down for the flight home and wondered what would happen next.

* * *

Now that he had a larger form, Senshi took up more space on the bed, but it didn't really matter because of its large size. Senshi's size also seemed to deter Wakebot, but not for long. He sat on the bed as Jack went to the bathroom to get dressed and when Jack returned, the human paused.

"I know I forgot to ask this yesterday, but you don't take off your armor when you go to bed?"

"No, why should I?" Senshi tilted his head, "It's basically part of me. Trying to take it off would be like trying to take off your hair."

"Hey hey hey, no need to go that far!" Jack raised his hands to his head. Senshi snorted. Jack continued, "So, it's not uncomfortable?"

"No."

"Alright. If it was, you know I won't mind you taking it off. You can trust me."

"I know that, but really, it doesn't bother me." Senshi yawned, "Are we going to bed or not?"

"Yeah yeah, give me a sec." Jack got into bed but didn't turn the light out just yet, "I'm gonna read for a while, so you can go to sleep whenever you want."

"Okay." Senshi curled up, "'Night, Jack." The redhead smiled and rubbed the digimon's armor.

"'Night."

* * *

When Senshi woke, Jack was nowhere to be seen and a soft wave of music was in the air. Senshi tilted his head, trying to determine where it was coming from, and proceeded to follow it into the bathroom.

"_East is up, I'm fearless when I hear this on the low..._" Jack hummed along to the song as he put on his eyeliner, taking care for the long marks under his eyes, "_East is up, I'm careless when I wear my rebel clothes..._"

"What are you doing?" The dragon had to raise his voice to be heard over the music. Jack jumped a little, startled, and then turned down the volume on his phone.

"Singing." Jack said, going back to his makeup, "Sorry if I woke you." Senshi hopped onto the counter and looked at the picture on the phone, at the album cover.

"_Trench..._ What is this?"

"It's an album." Jack proceeded to explain about artists and music and Senshi slowly nodded.

"So Twenty One Pilots made this?"

"Yeah. Used to be in some more metal stuff before I heard them."

"Could I listen?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, sure." He raised the volume on the phone as the song switched. As Jack watched, Senshi went from sitting to headbanging and swaying in minutes, causing the teenage genius to smile. He left the digimon to listen to _Trench_ as he went to his lab to start working on things. As he went past the kitchen, one of his Jackbots appeared.

"Master Jack?"

"Yeah, JB-52?"

"Would you like your meal in the lab?"

"Sure, and bring Senshi's too."

"Yes sir." The Jackbot didn't leave. The human paused.

"Something else you need to tell me?"

"Yes sir." The robot held out a package, "This came in today from your parents." Jack frowned, taking it.

"Where from?"

"Somalia."

"Thanks. You're dismissed."

"Yes sir." The Jackbot floated away. Jack scratched his head as he held the box, somewhat curious and anxious at the same time.

"Wonder what they sent me now. Hope it's not another puzzle box with a spirit trapped in it..."

"Now, wouldn't that be just darling?"

"Fuck!" Jack yelped as Wuya stepped out of the shadows, "Jackbots!"

"Oh please." Wuya rolled her eyes even as the Jackbots came to the teen's aid, "If I wanted to, I could destroy them easily."

"What are you doing here?! First Chase and now you! Is this 'Scare the crap out of Jack' Week or what?!"

"I heard about the little dragon you have." Wuya threw her hair over her shoulder, "Didn't seem to help you in the last Showdown."

"I don't have a dragon."

"That's not what Chase said." Wuya crossed her arms, "I know you well enough to tell when you're lying, Jack. Where did it come from? Where is it now?"

"None of your business! Now get out of my house!"

"Fine." Wuya waved a hand dismissively, "But don't blame me if everyone starts hearing about your little dragon friend." Jack grit his teeth.

"Don't." he growled, "What will it take to keep you from talking about it?" Wuya smiled.

"Can't I see the dragon?"

"And hurt him or take him?"

"You have your guards right there." She gestured to the Jackbots. Jack rolled his eyes.

"Fine, but I'm not letting either of your out of my sight." Jack nodded to one of the robots, who floated back upstairs. He also whispered, "Plan 334." The Jackbots made no sounds of acknowledgement except for their eyes lighting up. Wuya was busy checking her nails. Eventually they heard thumps on the stairs and Senshi appeared at the door. As soon as he saw Wuya he was back in protective mode again, getting in between Jack and Wuya. The witch raised an eyebrow.

"I've never seen a dragon like that before. Most of them look like Dojo, not like that fuzzy abomination."

"Go away." Senshi snapped.

"It talks. Interesting." There was a tense pause and suddenly Wuya slashed her arm, sending a wave of energy at Senshi. The digimon hopped back as the Jackbots fired, dissipating the blast before it reached them.

"_Katana Attack!_" Senshi spit out a katana, barely missing Wuya's face.

"No fire? How disappointing."

"I think you've overstayed your welcome." said Jack, "I demand that you leave right now."

"Alright. I've seen what I wanted to see anyhow." Wuya disappeared before their eyes. Senshi ran around, double-checking she was gone as Jack dismissed his robots, undoing the order. Once they were both done, they stared at one another.

"...You can spit swords?"

"Katanas." Senshi corrected, hopping onto the main table, "What the hell was that?"

"She was testing us." Jack said, going over to scratch his friend's fur, "I'm really worried she'll tell others about you. Chase doesn't gossip but he told Wuya and that's just as bad."

"Anything we can do?"

"Unfortunately, no." The human shook his head, "It's their game, basically. We don't follow the rules, we get hurt."

"I see." Senshi sat down, "But if something happens, know that I'm not gonna let you get hurt, no matter what."

"I could tell. Thanks."

"No problem." Senshi glanced away guiltily, "Is it okay if we could play _Trench_ while you work?" Jack smiled.

"Sure. Go get my phone." Senshi brightened up and ran away. Jack watched him leave before remembering the package in his hand. As he prepared to analyze what might be inside it, he wondered what would happen now with Senshi. The digimon could certainly defend himself and, if Wuya spread the word, then Senshi would be in the spotlight. He'd have to ask if Senshi could change into even stronger forms, just in case. And if not, he might as well help Senshi learn how to fight whatever enemies he might encounter. Time for Chameleon Bot 2.0...

* * *

_**I'm surprised at how quickly I was able to write this. Anyway, the music in this is something I've recently gotten into and I believe Twenty One Pilots would fit with Jack really well. There may be other references to **_**Trench_ as the story goes on._**

_**Please read & review!**_


	4. -But I'll Put You To Shame

Heylin Dragon

By: Aubrie1234

* * *

"Y'know, I never asked you what form you are now, or if you could become even more forms." Jack began as Senshi handed him a wrench.

"Well, right now I'm a Ryudamon." said the digimon, "All digimon digivolve by levels, really. Typically it's Baby, In-Training, Rookie, Champion, Ultimate, and Mega. I've only been through Baby, In-Training, and Rookie so far. And I can digivolve farther."

"Digivolve?"

"It's how I change form."

"So you can get stronger." Jack mused. Senshi shrugged, or as much as he could with his tiny shoulders.

"I'm pretty strong as it is in this form. Are you worried I can't defend myself?"

"A little. Hand me the screwdriver?" Senshi took the item in his mouth and handed it to Jack before answering.

"Well, don't worry about it. Before I came here, I was very powerful."

"Don't blame me if I find that hard to believe." Jack said, "But you're certain you can defend yourself?"

"I may not know much about the dangers of this world, but I think I'll be fine. At least humans don't fight as much as digimon." Jack snorted.

"That is a big fat lie. Whenever humans meet, there's gonna be a fight. Wars are going on as we speak. I fight with the Xiaolin every time I try to grab some Wu. I have no idea where you got the notion we don't fight, but it is _so_ wrong."

"Fair enough, but digimon can cause a lot more damage." Senshi glanced at the katana still stuck in the wall as evidence.

"Maybe. And what do you think about stealing?" Senshi frowned.

"I certainly don't like it unless there's a good reason."

"Would you consider stealing the Shen Gong Wu from the Xiaolin Warriors bad if they're stolen for a better purpose?"

"What are you getting at?"

"Every time they get some Wu, they lock it away." Jack said, "If they're supposed to protect people, then they should let the Wu be used."

"I'm pretty sure that, as powerful as they are, the Shen Gong Wu can easily become dangerous if used improperly, or some are just too powerful or dangerous to be used." Jack thought about it.

"Okay, yeah, you've got a point. The Yin-Yang Yoyos are _not_ something to take lightly."

"What do they do?" Senshi was curious. Jack winced.

"Using one brings you into the Yin-Yang World and vice versa, but in turn it changes your personality. Like me, for example. If I used one, which I did and _never _wanna repeat, when I go to the Yin-Yang World, I would be such a goody two-shoes I'd probably sound like walking cotton candy." Jack stuck out his tongue in disgust at the image, "But if you use both yoyos together, you're able to keep your personality."

"Remind me to never use one, then." Senshi shivered, "I wouldn't like to see my evil side."

"But what do you think about stealing the Wu?"

"I don't think it's a good idea."

"But the Wu is all contained in one place! That's _really _not a good idea, is it?" Senshi thought about it.

"I see your point, but..." he began.

"'But?'" Jack gestured for him to continue.

"Well, if they're supposed to be protectors of the Wu, they should know what's best, shouldn't they? Even if they aren't exactly the good guys they're supposed to be."

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely."

"What?"

"It's a saying." Jack explained, "If you gain absolute power, it'll eventually corrupt you. That's kinda what the Warriors have. They think that, because they're the protectors of the Shen Gong Wu, they have the greatest power. They think it means they don't take shit from anyone. If I could, I'd like to bring their egos down a notch and show them they're not all-powerful."

"If you want, I can help you with that. Just not the stealing part."

"Fair enough. I can do that on my own. I did it once with the Changing Chopsticks and the Chameleon-Bot, actually."

"Hmm..." Senshi sat back, thinking, "You said the Warriors have the Wu locked up in one place, right? And they think they're all-powerful." Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, so?"

"They likely don't think anyone can steal from them without Wu, and so they probably don't keep an eye on the area as much as they need to. You could probably sneak in in a lull in their security." Jack's face broke out into a wide grin.

"See? I knew you'd become evil eventually!" Senshi ducked away from the hand trying to pet his head.

"Just a suggestion. I only condone this because you have a point, but you're stealing by yourself."

"And if something happens to me? I won't have any backup."

"You have your Jackbots."

"No I won't. If I'm raiding the Xiaolin Temple, I have to do it with the least amount possible so I won't be noticed. Could also use a distraction."

"Again, Jackbots." Senshi pointed out.

"Then they'd know it was me trying to get in." Jack said, "Please, just this once, then I won't ask you to help me steal again. You're my friend, right? Friends help one another."

"They only help steal if they're both bad or if one of them is idiodic enough to help." Senshi put a claw to his head, "And I guess I'm the idiodic one here."

"Yes!" Jack cheered.

"Ask me to help you steal again and I will guide you into a fucking ditch before leaving you there to think about your actions and climb back here alone."

"Noted." Jack gave him a hug. Senshi rolled his eyes, hoping he hadn't made a bad decision.

"And am I still supposed to be a secret?"

"Oh, right." Jack thought about it, "Well, as long as they don't know you're with me or who you are, you should be fine."

"That really doesn't reassure me..."

* * *

Senshi yawned as he sat at the computer. Jack was sound asleep in his bed and the Jackbots were patrolling the grounds. He had some time to learn how Datamon was progressing in the project. Standing in the chair, he leaned forward to touch his nose to the screen. The screen lit up and quickly changed to Datamon's lab.

"What?" grumbled the digimon.

"It's me." said Senshi, "How's the program coming along?"

"Just dandy, except I don't know what kind of neuropathy you asked me to do. There are different kinds, y'know!"

"Well, all I've seen are just muscle cramps and weakness. And I guess it's severe, since I haven't seen anything else like it before." Senshi rubbed his face, "Could you try making some and I'll see what kind it is?"

"I'll try. Can't promise anything." Datamon gave him a dark look, "And why did you ask me to do this? I thought you didn't like humans."

"That's not true." Senshi shook his head, "I didn't know what to think of them. So far, this human has only been kind to me and so I'm trying to be kind in turn."

"Your heart's too big." Datamon sighed, but Senshi knew it wasn't bad. The dragon smiled.

"Thanks." He frowned, "And has anything happened?"

"Not yet, but you know he'll find you eventually."

"Eventually, but not now. Goodbye." Senshi returned the computer to normal and sat in the chair, quiet. Slowly, he got out of it and headed back upstairs. He had a lot to think about.

* * *

The night after, Jack took them into the mountains around the Xiaolin Temple so they would have a good view of where they would be enacting their plan.

"There's the building where all the Wu is, the main temple." Jack pointed it out, "I'll fly in through the roof and grab the Wu. You just need the lead the Warriors away from there for about ten minutes."

"Not a lot of room to run around." Senshi noted.

"You can lead them out of the grounds. Just stay safe. We're doing something good, right? So why are you against this?"

"It's not a good thing, Jack. We're just helping to balance good and evil again. One side can't have too much or it'll become unbalanced and cause trouble for everyone."

"We aren't doing any Yin-Yang here." Jack shook his head, "I've had enough of that with the yoyos."

"Well, let's head down and start our plan." Senshi said and began picking his way down the side of the mountain.

"I can help you down-"

"I'll be fine. You just don't get caught." Senshi continued on his way down and Jack bit his lip, now unsure of this, but realizing they couldn't back down now. They were going to do this, whether they liked it or not.

* * *

Senshi poked his head through the gate and looked around. Before they'd arrived, Jack described the Warriors in more detail so that he knew what he was dealing with. The dragon already had an inkling of a plan in his mind but he needed to find them first. Either them or Dojo, their dragon friend. If Dojo was around, then it was likely the Warriors would be close by. As it was, once he was sure the coast was clear, Senshi ran in and jumped to the top of a tree. From there he jumped to the roof of one of the buildings, landing and skidding on the tile for a second before finding his balance. He wasn't too worried about falling, since he still had his levitation powers, even if he didn't really use them. He ran across the roof and tried to figure out where to go next. Jack had an outline of the place he'd put together when Chameleon-Bot infiltrated and so Senshi had somewhat of a map of where things were inside the buildings. He headed to the training yard, trying to remember if the barracks were nearby. The night was silent as he arrived, jumping off the roof and to the ground. No sound was made as he padded along, sniffing the air. The scent of humans was everywhere, but nothing was fresh or close. There was no scent of anything strange either, such as to indicate Dojo or something else. It looked like, if he was going to create a distraction, he had to attract the Warriors to himself.

"Well then." He stretched himself, getting ready for the running that was sure to follow, then attacked the equipment, "_TERA BURST!_" Pieces of power flew out of his mouth and as soon as they touched something they created small but loud explosions. Senshi winced a little at the sudden light and turned his head when he heard the surprised sounds of monks trying to figure out what was going on. He'd hated to destroy anything, but it was too late to go back now. To make sure they knew what he was there for, he attacked one of the dummies and tore off an arm.

"Hey!" Senshi turned to find Raimundo charging towards him. The Xiaolin was about to do some sort of attack when Senshi struck first.

"_Katana Attack!_"

"Whoa!" Rai ducked to the side so as not to get hit, as did the other Warriors following behind him. Senshi began running, leaning down for more speed, glancing back. They were still after him and he had to keep it that way until Jack was done. It shouldn't be too hard. As he ran through the obstacle course, he heard the Warriors talking.

"I've never seen a dragon like that before!" Kimiko exclaimed, "Do you think Dojo knows about it?"

"Doubt it." said Clay, "That dragon is slipperier than a side-winder!"

"I will stop him!" Omi hopped on top of the equipment to catch up and Senshi wasn't having any of it.

"_Katana Attack!_" Omi dodged the attack and kicked at the digimon. Senshi turned to him, stopping in his running and took the kick to the top of his head. The jewel on the dragon's head began to glow a soft yellow and Senshi struck out, "_Kabutogaeshi!_" He snapped his jaws at the young Warrior before turning around and smacking Omi with his tail, sending the monk flying hard. Raimundo caught Omi and the four Xiaolin Warriors prepared for a fight. Senshi lowered himself so that his belly wasn't exposed and that any attack would only hit his armor. He glanced at the building Jack had pointed out, the tallest at the temple, and saw a shadow rising away from it. Jack must've done his job. Senshi turned and, without another word, jumped up and over the wall of the temple, ignoring the shouts of the Xiaolin. He ran away and hid, watching them in silence as they tried to find him. When they gave up, he went back up the mountain to join Jack.

"You okay?" Jack asked quietly, standing beside the jet. Senshi nodded.

"As much as I hated destroying their stuff, that felt good." Jack smiled.

"Good for you." He glanced into the cockpit, "You'll need to sit on the Wu 'til we get home. You okay with that?"

"Sure." Senshi looked in and saw a large bag filling up the seat. He whistled.

"How much did you get?"

"At least half the Wu. They'll probably be checking right now so we need to leave." Jack climbed in, as did the digimon. He sat on the stack, squeezed in by the top of the cockpit. He was uncomfortable but kept silent as Jack took off. Luckily it didn't take them long to return to the mansion and soon they were unloading their haul.

"Where are we putting this?" Senshi asked, carrying the Fountain of Hui and Reversing Mirror. He was talking around the Lasso Boa-Boa that was wrapped around his neck and jaw. Jack had used the Ring of the Nine Dragons to help increase their numbers nine-fold and carry the Wu inside. The Jack he was following seemed to be the most normal one.

"You'll see." Once everyone and all the Wu were in the lab, Jack returned his copies and knelt on the floor. He placed a hand on a space underneath the table and a small light came on, scanning his head. When it was done it made a small _beep_ and turned green before a hatch opened underneath it. As Jack lifted the hatch he explained, "This is a secret safe I made for any Wu I got. No one else knows about it, not even Chase and Wuya. It only opens for me, anyway." Once it was fully open, Senshi looked inside. It wasn't particularly big but it was deep. Lights lined the sides and at the bottom, about ten or twelve feet down, was a staff with a monkey carved on one end. That must've been the Monkey Staff mentioned before.

"But if you're putting it all in here, how do you sort it?"

"Not all of it is going in here." said Jack, "The Ring of the Nine Dragons and Glove of Jisaku aren't. As for sorting it, I have this." Jack pointed out a small screen right in front of the hatch, "I type in what Wu I want and, if it's there, a robot arm will come out and get the Wu for me. If that doesn't work, I can always use the Glove of Jisaku to bring it all up and get the one I want before putting them all back again."

"Sounds like a lot of work." As Senshi helped Jack up the Wu in the safe, he thought of something and paused, "Does any of the Shen Gong Wu have a healing ability?"

"Not really." Jack shook his head, "It's either combat, transportation, or miscellaneous. The closest you could get to a healing Wu is this." Jack held up a round lantern, "This is the Sun Chi Lantern. It absorbs the chi of others to make you more powerful."

"Chi?" Senshi frowned.

"It's sorta like your life force, I guess. I never really understood it myself." Jack dropped it into the safe.

"So it can't heal you."

"No. I tried it once but it didn't help, only kept away the symptoms." They were quiet for a moment.

"I know you said you had neuropathy, but what kind is it?" Senshi asked.

"Central nerve. If it had been the autonomic nerve, I'd likely be dead."

"Why?"

"The autonomic nerve helps the brain control your unconscious functions, like your heartbeat and temperature. Without it you'd have to keep a close eye on your body and you really wouldn't be able to do much else. I know people manage it, but with parents like mine, I likely wouldn't have survived."

"So how is the central nerve different?"

"It actually controls more than the autonomic nerve does but it's more attached to reflexes than the autonomic nerve, so it's not as bad." Jack rubbed his arm uncomfortably, "I keep it hidden for a reason, y'know. If any of the others found out, they'd take advantage of it and hurt me. I'm only telling you this because I can trust you." Jack met Senshi's eyes, "Can't I?"

"Of course." And the digimon didn't even need to think to let Jack know he meant it. The teenage genius smiled.

"Thanks." He rubbed Senshi's head, "I hope this whole adventure knocks the Warriors' egos down for a while. They need to be humiliated a little every so often."

"I suppose." Senshi yawned, causing Jack to yawn.

"Looks like we need to go to bed." said the redhead. Once all the Shen Gong Wu going into the safe were inside, Jack closed the hatch and put the remaining Shen Gong Wu near his computer. The two then went upstairs as Jack asked one of his Jackbots to guard the lab for the night.

* * *

_**Quick note: the two chapter titles (this one and the one before it) are lines from **_**Play My Game_ by the Donnas. I swear it wasn't my intention but it happened._**


	5. Snakes and Ladders, Rocks and Spires

Heylin Dragon

By: Aubrie1234

* * *

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Why do Chase and Wuya scare you?"

"It's not obvious?" Senshi shook his head.

"I can understand Chase, with his lizard form and all, but why Wuya?"

"She's a scary witch! Why wouldn't I be?"

"She looks scary, but she's more of a bitch than anything else."

"You've got a point, but don't say it to her face. I'd like my only friend to stay alive, thank you."

"Only friend?" Senshi asked.

"Well, only _living_ friend. The Jackbots are my living friends. Right Jackbots?"

"Yes sir!" The two guarding the lab saluted him before going back to their duties.

"So none of the Xiaolin or Heylin or anyone else are your friends?" Jack shook his head.

"Not really." Jack sounded sad as he spoke, working on his latest project, "A long time ago, the Warriors and I tried being friends, I even tried being a monk. It didn't really work out. I doubt they'd even wanna try being friends now, after all this."

"Don't know until you try, though."

"True." They both glanced over when they heard beeping coming from the jet. Knowing there was another Shen Gong Wu activating, Jack went to the hatch, grabbed the Monkey Staff, and they were on their way to find it.

"Any idea what we're after this time?"

"Nope." Jack shook his head, "The Xiaolin have this scroll all about the Shen Gong Wu, so they and Chase, Wuya, and Hannibal are the only ones who might know what we're going to get."

"How do Chase and Wuya know? And who's Hannibal?"

"All three are ancient beings. Chase was actually a Xiaolin monk before Hannibal turned him evil. As for Wuya, she fought with Grand Master Dashi to rule the world and knew of the Shen Gong Wu. As for Hannibal..." Jack shook his head, "Trust me when I say it's better that you don't know about him."

"And Grand Master Dashi? Was he like the leader of the Xiaolin long ago?"

"That's right. And we're here." They flew through the opening of a large cave and Senshi shivered.

"Isn't this a bit close? Too close?"

"I've done this before, Senshi. I know what I'm doing." And Jack did. He guided the jet with ease through the sudden turns and forks while Senshi covered his eyes, hoping they wouldn't crash. Eventually they came to a stop in a large clearing and landed. Jack took out his phone and synced it to the Shen Gong Wu Detector so he would know where to go after he left the jet. But before he could seal the cockpit behind him, Senshi leapt out.

"You're supposed-!"

"I know I'm supposed to stay in the ship but I don't feel safe with you going in the tunnels alone with just the Monkey Staff." Senshi said, "At least let me follow you. I won't let anyone see me, I promise." Jack rubbed his eyes.

"Okay, fine, you can come." He turned the flashlight on in his phone and walked away. Senshi padded after him.

* * *

"So, I'm your only friend?"

"Only _living_ friend."

"It's still terrible, Jack."

"Yeah, I know. You don't have to remind me."

"Well, I'm glad you consider me a friend. You might not be a nice guy, but you're kind to me and I appreciate that."

"Yeah, about that..." Jack glanced at the dragon in the darkness, "Have you had experiences with humans before? You said before that you know not all humans were good or nice."

"I've never met any humans until you, but I know a few others who did. I even remember when _It_ happened."

"When what happened?" Senshi shook his head.

"Humans came into the Digital World. A lot of digimon died. It wasn't a good time." Senshi padded ahead of him a little, as if trying to run from the conversation. Jack wasn't letting him go so easily.

"But if humans went into the Digital World before, why does no one know about it?"

"I don't know, ask them." Senshi growled, "No one that got killed was a friend of mine, but they still died and I couldn't do anything."

"Why not?"

"I wasn't allowed to." When Jack tried to pester another answer out of him, Senshi stayed silent. Jack eventually gave up and they kept walking together.

"Hey, I just thought about something. If you remember all that from the Digital World, why didn't you just stay in the form you were in when you came here?"

"I don't know. I don't even know how I came here. And I was lucky."

"Lucky?"

"When digimon turn into DigiEggs, like I was, they don't always keep their memory. We get reformatted when it happens and sometimes we lose our memories. It's like starting anew, but not for the ones that knew you."

"And nothing can bring it back?"

"I don't think so. Not from my knowledge."

"It sounds terrible, losing your memory. Why does it get lost in the reformatting?"

"No one knows. Some think it's because the memories are corrupted in some way, others think it's so we can make room for more power in our rebirth. It doesn't really matter to me, though. I'm afraid of losing my memories, sure, but I can stand to lose a few."

"Like meeting me?" Senshi gave him an astonished look.

"Losing the memories of you?! No way!" He shook his head quickly, "You're a great person, Jack, and I'd never wanna forget you."

"Then which memories would you wanna lose?" Senshi glanced away.

"I...used to have a friend in the Digital World. We had good times together, but then things happened. I don't wanna forget those good times, but I would like to get rid of the bad ones."

"Well, you might not."

"And why is that?"

"Even though not everything with your friend was good, the bad times still help build things." Senshi snorted.

"Not this time." And all became quiet again, at least for a short time. Eventually they could see a light at the end of the tunnel and raced toward it. They soon came into a huge cavern and, on top of a load of spikes and spires, was the glowing Shen Gong Wu.

"Stay here, I'll go get it." said Jack, activating his helipack and flying up to grab it. Senshi hung back until he saw the Warriors appear from a different entrance and they quickly began to make their way up, trying to beat Jack. They also seemed very pissed. Senshi glanced between Jack and the Warriors for a moment before deciding that his secrecy was less important than ensuring Jack's safety. He began climbing up himself, hopping from rock to rock quicker than the Xiaolin and catching up with Jack. The teen grew angry at his appearance but said nothing, trying to reach the Wu first. They soon arrived at the top and grabbed at the Wu, only to be met with Kimiko and Raimundo.

"It's you!" Kimiko exclaimed upon seeing Senshi.

"Nice to see you too, sweetheart." Senshi drawled.

"So you've got a dragon working for you now, Jack?" Rai asked.

"Are we gonna do the Showdown or what?" Jack snapped, then set the rules, "This is gonna be a climbing race, two on two. Whoever gets to the Wu first wins. I wager my Monkey Staff against your Tangle Web Comb."

"Seems fair." Kimiko said, glancing at Senshi, "But you can't use your helipack."

"Fine." Jack rolled his eyes, "Are we ready?"

"Prepare to get your ass handed to you!" said Rai.

"Then let's go! _Xiaolin Showdown!_" Senshi was almost thrown off-balance as the cave began to shift. The walls pulled away slightly and stones jutted out sharply, almost like spears. The spires around them spread out, changing height, and the Shen Gong Wu took off into the air, flying to the tallest. Over to the side, Senshi could see Clay and Omi, likely observing. Senshi quickly had to grab onto the spire as it thinned and came to a point, leaving no room to stand on it. The same was done for the other spires, some even looking so thin they would break if you touched them.

"_Gong Yi Tanpai!_" yelled the humans and were soon off. Rai and Kimiko worked together to use a comb-like Wu to grab one spire and swing to another while Jack used the Monkey Staff to transform into a part-man, part-monkey hybrid and jumped from spire to spire. His helipack was also missing.

"C'mon!" he called to Senshi, "We need to get it first or we lose!" Senshi gulped. He should've let Jack try for the Wu on his own, but now that the digimon was involved, he had no choice but to participate. Steeling himself, Senshi pushed off from the spire and focused on flying. Much to his astonishment, it worked. He was floating in the air between the spires, not moving, and he grinned. Turning direction, he raced through the spires as fast as he could, flying to the top to grab the Wu.

"What the-?!" said Clay.

"I should have known Jack Spicer would find a way to cheat!" said Omi.

"I said no flying!" Kimiko shouted.

"No, you said no helipack!" Senshi twirled in the air, "That, my dear, is a loophole." And with that, he grabbed the Wu and the Showdown ended. Jack hugged him.

"Way to go, buddy!"

"So, you're not mad at me anymore?"

"We'll talk about that later. What do you think of this, Xiaolin Losers?" Jack turned the last part of the Warriors, all of whom seemed madder than before.

"Okay, yeah, not the best Showdown, but let's get out of here before we decided to murder someone, huh?" Dojo said, curled up on Clay's hat, "I'd rather not get tangled with _that_ dragon, thank you very much!"

"You can grow so much bigger than him, why are you scared?" said Raimundo.

"Because I am an everloving coward and don't do too well in small spaces."

"Jack, I kinda agree with Dojo." Senshi was gently tugging on the other's coat, "They look like they wanna kill us and I don't think I could hold off all of them."

"Good point." Jack activated his helipack, "See you later, losers!" They flew away, the Wu in their hands. They were moving much faster now that they knew where they were going, not to mention flying instead of walking. Jack spoke up, "I didn't know you could still fly."

"You don't know a lot of things about me. I don't know a lot about you. I think we're even."

"I guess." Jack hummed, "What Wu do you think that is? The Warriors didn't say." Senshi looked down at the cow-shaped Wu in his claws.

"Probably better not use it until we know for sure. Who knows what it could do."

"Good point." Once they were back in the jet Senshi had to endure Jack's cave flying skills once again before he could breathe a sigh of relief.

"What do you think happens now? The Warriors know my name and that I'm with you. Chase knows, Wuya knows. How bad could this get?" Senshi was staring out the window as he said it.

"That's why I wanted you to stay in the jet. I'm glad for the help, but we're in pretty bad shape now. At least no one knows what you really are."

"I'm sorry. I just didn't want you getting hurt. Did you see the looks on their faces? If I hadn't gotten you out of there, I think they would've killed you on the spot. They were in a bad mood and might've known that you were the one who stole the Wu. If that doesn't give them the idea for murder, I don't know what would."

"Now that I think about it, you have a point. Thanks." When they returned, Senshi stiffened, then sniffed the air. He growled and stepped in front of Jack. The albino took notice of this and readied the Tangle Web Comb.

"Impressive Showdown, Spicer, Senshi." It was Chase, sitting in the chair at Jack's computer, "I must say, I did not expect you to win it, but Senshi came through in the end."

"Why are you here? What do you want?" Jack lowered the Wu, realizing that Chase meant no harm. For all the time he spent with the everlord, he was able to read his body language and knew what Chase _wasn't _there for, at least. He put a hand on Senshi's back and tried to calm the dragon.

"I am going to put this bluntly: Senshi seems to listen to you and only you. I would like him to be on my side and work with me, so I am presenting you with the chance to become my apprentice." Jack internally squealed, glad at the chance, but he remembered all the times Chase had turned down his questions before. He was wary.

"So Senshi's the only one you want out of this deal?"

"Not so. As my apprentice, I will teach you in every evil way imaginable in exchange for asking for Senshi's help."

"Not gonna happen." said the dragon, "I'm not evil like you, like Jack is. I stay with him because he's kind to me. I'm not doing anything evil unless you give me a good reason."

"You helped steal from the Xiaolin." Chase pointed out.

"Only to balance good and evil." Senshi raised himself and stood tall, "Even if Jack becomes your apprentice, I'm not gonna listen to you."

"Very well." Chase glanced at Jack, then disappeared where he sat.

"Why did you do that? I had a chance with him for once!" Jack hissed.

"Maybe you did, but all he wanted was me. Would you rather have that and not get taught at all or actually have him focus his attention on you?" Jack was quiet, Senshi turned away, "I hope you get what I'm saying. He didn't want you, Jack. He just wanted me." Senshi then walked away to double-check that Chase was gone. Jack stared after him, not sure how he felt.

* * *

Senshi once again sat at the computer, talking with Datamon. Now that he had information on Jack's condition, Datamon was able to get started on an experimental cure for his 'program' right away.

"Do you really think this is gonna work?" asked the stronger digimon, "That a simple computer program is gonna fix what a human has?"

"Well, it's like trying to fix a program, isn't it? You fill in the missing pieces and fix the corrupt ones and BAM, everything's fine." said Senshi.

"You're too optimistic for your own good."

"As you keep telling me. I'll keep in touch."

"Wait." Senshi's nose hovered over the screen before he drew back.

"What?" he asked.

"You-Know-Who's been asking for you." Datamon looked somewhat frightened, "He's scary when he's angry."

"He won't hurt you, I promise. He just wants me back."

"And he's willing to do anything to make that come true, too." Datamon glanced over his shoulder, as if he was being watched, "Listen, why don't you just forget about all this and come home?" Senshi's face darkened.

"You know I can't do that. I'm not going back to him until he says I'm free. Now goodbye." Senshi cut the connection quickly and got a hurt nose for his trouble, but that was fine. He didn't want to answer any personal questions, especially something that personal.

* * *

_**The Shen Gong Wu that Jack and Senshi win in this chapter is an actual Wu, called the Genie Moo. It was supposed to be part of Xiaolin Showdown Season 4 before it was cancelled. Might as well have some recognition, right?**_


	6. Evil Is As Evil Does

Heylin Dragon

By: Aubrie1234

* * *

Senshi yawned and stretched as he woke. It would take a while for Datamon to finish and so he had a lot of time to learn more about Jack before they tried out the program. He looked around, surprised that Wakebot hadn't woken him. The angry little robot was still prowling the house, waking up any who dared to fall asleep or who weren't awake at the proper time. Senshi could attest to that. The digimon padded out of the room and to the bathroom, but as he did so, he noticed something strange. He did a double-take as he passed a window and frowned. Outside, there were no Jackbots. This made Senshi tense. Ignoring the bathroom, he made his way down the stairs and to the lab. He grew even more worried when there were no Jackbots guarding the room. Cautiously, he opened the door. Inside was Jack, but as he sniffed the air, he frowned.

"Hey Sen. You're up late." said Jack. Senshi narrowed his eyes.

"You're not Jack."

"What do you-"

"_Katana Attack!_" Jack grabbed the katana with surprising speed. Senshi growled.

"Who are you and what have you done with Jack?" Fake!Jack smiled, throwing the katana away.

"Thought you would've noticed this was a dream if you noticed I wasn't Jack so very very quickly." Senshi stumbled as the ground shuddered and all parts of the lab dissolved into a swirling gray/blue area filled with fog. Fake!Jack was there with him but suddenly, he began to transform, melting from Jack to a small red bean, which seemed to carry a two-part shield.

"Hannibal Roy Bean. Seems you've got quite a lot of fears hidden here, dragon." He grinned crookedly. Senshi stiffened.

"How are you here?"

"The Shadow of Fear." A statue of a bronze eagle/hawk materialized in the bean's vines, "Jack Spicer wasn't the only one stealing from the vault that night. It's because of him I know about you."

"And you wanna try blackmailing me?" Senshi snapped.

"Perhaps, but not now." Hannibal rubbed his chin, or what he seemed to consider a chin, "I could ask you if everything about Al-"

"Finish that and I will kick you out of this dream right now." Senshi hissed, "You may have the ability to control nightmares but this is still my dream."

"If you think so. Just know that I can 'spill the beans' any time I want, and then you'll have an angry Jack on your hands, won't ya?" Senshi closed his eyes as a flash came from the Shadow of Fear and suddenly, he found himself on the floor, having rolled off the bed. It was still dark outside.

"Mfgh..." Jack groaned, "Senshi..?"

"I'm okay." He climbed back onto the bed. Jack was rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"What happened?"

"Just fell off the bed."

"Nightmare?" Senshi glanced away for a brief moment.

"Yeah. Really bad one."

"Well, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Jack rolled over and fell asleep. Senshi curled up on the pillow but his eyes were wide open. He wasn't going back to sleep again that night.

* * *

"I know you said I was better off not knowing, but who is Hannibal?" Senshi asked as they ate breakfast together that morning.

"And _why_ are you asking this so early in the day?"

"I'm curious." Jack was skeptical about the reasoning but let it slide.

"Before I tell you anything, just let it be known that he holds no power over anyone. We're only scared of him because we fear him and what he can do. Even though I'm afraid of him, I realize that it's only the fear that makes him powerful. Now, as for who he is, you already know he's the one that changed Chase to the Heylin side. He's also very good at manipulating others and getting what he wants, even though he's a literal bean. Even Chase is uneasy with him and that's saying something. He's like the most evil guy ever."

"Can he change form at all?"

"Used to with the Moby Morpher, but the Xiaolin have it. Why?" Jack frowned, "Did something happen?"

"No."

"You responded too quickly." Jack said, "He came into your dreams last night, didn't he."

"...Yes." Senshi slowly nodded.

"Must have the Shadow of Fear, too." Jack rubbed his face, "If he knows about you, then we're screwed. What else does he know?"

"He knows things I would rather keep hidden."

"But you know-"

"Yeah, he holds no power over me if I don't fear him. I don't fear him, Jack, I only fear him spreading my secrets. He probably knows secrets I don't even want _you _knowing."

"He's a bastard like that." said Jack.

"What are we gonna do?"

"Remember what I said about how the others were playing a game with us? If you don't want Hannibal to share those secrets, then play his game, even if he asks you to do things you hate. But if you don't care about those secrets, then let him do what he wants and ignore him."

"How are you so sure that'll work?" Senshi asked, a touch of sadness in his voice. Jack softened and scratched the digimon under the chin, causing the dragon to close his eyes in contentment.

"I know because I've done it. He can talk people into things, Senshi, and he tried to do it to me. He tried to talk me into something but I ignored him."

"How?"

"I can't tell you how to ignore him. You have to find that out for yourself." Senshi opened his eyes and stepped away from the petting.

"Could you help me with that, at least?"

"I can try." Jack nodded.

"Thanks."

"Master Jack?" A Jackbot came up to them, claws together.

"Yeah, JB-13?" If it had legs, the robot would've shifted nervously.

"We wanted to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

"We're grateful for the new emotion ship, of course, but do you think it's really a good idea?"

"Of course I do. I mean, even though we had a setback with JB-19, I think giving you guys the emotion ships was great."

"I suppose." The robot nodded, "Thank you, sir." JB-13 left them alone.

"I saw what happened." Senshi winced, "At least you're rebuilding JB-19, but why give them emotion chips? Do you want them to feel like friends besides their robotic attributes?"

"Yeah, kinda. The last time I tried this, it didn't end well, but I think I did better this time because I'm not using a volatile Wu."

"And what Wu would that be?"

"The Heart of Jong. It gives life to whatever contains it." Jack glanced away, "I thought putting it in a robot would give me a good friend, but Dudebot didn't want it. That was...a really huge blow for me. I mean, Dudebot hadn't been around long, but being one of my robots, I still had a connection." He leaned into his crossed arms, "It was definitely the Warriors' fault for causing him to throw away his life. All he wanted was friends."

"And you think that, using chips instead of Wu, the Jackbots will actually act more like human beings and be the friends you need?"

"...Saying it makes it sound pathetic." Jack ran a hand through his hair, "Maybe I'll take them out later."

"You don't have to. I mean, having more friends than me is great, but..." Senshi shrugged, "Robots are good friends. You made them. I just don't think they would fulfill what you want. It's just my opinion, though."

"Well, you certainly have a better opinion than Wuya, at least."

"Wuya?"

"She used to live with me." Jack stood, "I don't really wanna talk about it. We've gotta figure out how to fight Hannibal, if you want. I don't suggest it, but it's your secrets, so your choice."

"I think… I don't know. I don't wanna do anything bad, but I don't want him sharing my secrets." Senshi hopped down to follow Jack to the lab.

"Until he does anything, I don't think we can do much." Jack admitted, "For now, ignore it."

"Easy for you to say."

* * *

Senshi listened to the headphones as _Chlorine_ played. Jack was asleep but Senshi refused to do so, afraid Hannibal would come back, so Jack leant the digimon some headphones (they tried earbuds until they realized the buds wouldn't fit under the helmet and Jack had no idea where Senshi's ears were) and his phone (plugged in, of course) so that the digimon could try to stay up all night. Jack doubted that Hannibal would make a move that night but Senshi wasn't having any of it, so the albino had no choice but to give in and try to help his friend. Senshi also couldn't spend the night talking with Datamon because one, the stronger digimon wasn't done and two, he was afraid of being tracked down.

When the song finished, Senshi paused the album and played with the phone for a second, trying to go to YouTube. Jack had explained it to him once and the digimon hoped that watching some videos would help keep him up. When the site was on the screen, there were several videos 'Recommended for You.' They were likely patterned after what Jack watched and Senshi thought he might was well try some of them. He quickly discovered a show called _The Big Bang Theory_ and proceeded to binge-watch it as much as he could. The only things that disturbed him were when Jackbots went by and when the sun began to come up, which consequently woke Jack.

"Mmfgh..." Jack rolled over and pulled the covers up to his head.

"Wake up, sleepyhead." Senshi said, giving a yawn. He pulled off the headphones after pausing the video and stared at Jack. When the human didn't move, Senshi proceeded to literally kick Jack out of bed.

"Oof!" Jack blinked bearily at the ceiling, "What was that for?"

"If you didn't get any sleep you'd be grumpy too." There was a hiss and they both looked over to find Wakebot poking its head in from the hallway. It gave a satisfactory nod before crawling back out.

"Don't know what he's happy about." Jack pushed himself to his feet and gave the digimon a glare. Senshi stared back blankly.

"Did you know that I don't give a damn about your piddly-ass problems? Because I really fucking don't."

"You've been watching _Big Bang Theory_, huh?" Jack turned to go in the bathroom, "Can you sing the theme song with me?"

"Not right now." Senshi hopped off the bed and followed Jack, "Your hair's lighter than before."

"Yeah, I have to dye it again." Jack opened one of the cabinets and inside were bottles and bottles of red hair-dye. He took one and closed the cabinet.

"Dye it? What do you do?" Senshi hopped onto the counter to watch. Jack gave him a look.

"Since you didn't get any sleep I don't know if you'd understand this but I'll try to explain." Senshi nodded along as Jack told him what dyeing was and what he was doing with his hair, concluding with, "I keep doing this to keep up appearances. A few know that I'm albino but no one seems to have used it against me yet, so that's good."

"How could they use it against you?" Jack paused.

"Well, not a lot of people like others who aren't like them. For a long time, albinos like myself were thought of as freaks or fragile, but we're not. Sure, I can't stay out in the sun too long, but I'm not fragile nor am I the Devil." The teenage genius rolled his eyes.

"How do they think you're 'the Devil?' And what's the Devil?"

"Oh boy..." Jack explained to Senshi about eye colors and somewhat about religion.

"I see other digimon with red eyes all the time. It's not a bad thing." said the dragon in response.

"For you, maybe, but red is not a natural eye color, like I said. Neither is yellow or pink or even black, though some get really close to that. And some have amber-colored eyes, but that's really rare."

"So people used to think albinos were evil because of their eye color, which they had no control over."

"And you see how I've had a crappy childhood." Jack quipped.

"That's not fair."

"Life's not fair, especially not to me." Jack was now finished with his dyeing and double-checked himself in the mirror. Senshi sniffed his hands.

"Why are they still red?"

"That's the dye. Won't come out for a while. Makes me look like I murdered someone, huh?" Jack's face fell a little after he said it. Senshi gave a humming sound.

"Don't feel bad. It doesn't look like you murdered someone. At least, if I knew what 'murder' meant I don't think it'd apply here." Jack smiled again.

"You're the best, you know that?" He rubbed the dragon's head, "Now that it's daytime, why don't you try to get some sleep? He won't be after you, I promise." Senshi gave him a skeptical look, "Just trust me, okay?"

"...Fine." Senshi hopped back to the bed and curled up in Jack's empty spot. In seconds the digimon was out and Jack smiled. He went over and tugged the covers on top of Senshi to keep him warm, just in case.

* * *

When he woke up, the house still had Jackbots, but there was no sign of Jack, only a note. Senshi, of course, was convinced this was another play by Hannibal to trick him and so tried biting himself, only to be interrupted by one of the Jackbots, who was both worried about Senshi and told by Jack to keep an eye on him. Seeing that the worry wasn't fake, Senshi conceded that he wasn't dreaming and so went back down to the lab to read the note.

'_Senshi, a Wu activated and I'm going to get it. Stay here and stay safe. - Jack'_

"I could've helped him again if he just woke me up." Senshi grumbled. But then he smelled something in the air and stiffened. He jumped on the table and growled at the darkness.

"I have been here three times and you still do not trust me." said Chase, "How wise of you."

"If you came to convince me-"

"Not this time." Chase took a seat in the chair in front of the computer, "I only question why you stay in Jack's care."

"Because he actually cares about and is nice to me?"

"Yes, he has. He wishes to be evil, but it seems he cannot accomplish that, if his care for you is any indication."

"Jack said people can be evil and nice at the same time. He says _you're_ nice. The only nice thing you've done that I've seen is be polite."

"Be lucky that I have been. You are an unpredictable being and, until I know more about you, I would like you not to get angry at me."

"Understandable." Senshi paced the table, not taking his eyes off Chase, "But really, why are you here?"

"As I said, I question why you stay with Jack when there is no benefit for you."

"The only benefit I have is friendship and that is enough." Chase rolled his eyes.

"Like the Xiaolin Warriors, you think friendship is everything. It will not get you anywhere if, say, you get thrown to a dinosaur. Like what I did to Jack." Senshi blinked, then snarled. He knew several dinosaur-like digimon and didn't like what he was coming up with.

"A dinosaur?! _Why_ would you throw him to a dinosaur?!" Senshi was disgusted, "You really _are_ evil, Young."

"How nice of you to point that out."

"Why doesn't Jack hate you for that? I would!" Chase shrugged.

"I have no idea myself. If he was as smart as he said, then he would get the idea that I do not wish to pay him any mind and he would leave me be."

"Well, he still thinks he has a chance at being your apprentice and _I_ can't understand _that_." Senshi shook his head.

"He would not care about you if he was actually evil."

"You're right about that, at least. He's not pure evil, not like you. I doubt you could ever learn to love, but Jack can. If he can take care of something, like me, then he isn't pure evil."

"And caring is a weakness." said Chase.

"Only if you think it is." Senshi and Chase looked up when they heard the whine of the jet as it approached, "I've heard from Jack about how you're still honorable, even if you _are _evil. That doesn't mean you're good, but your honor still makes you do good things sometimes. Everyone's gotta have a balance of some sort, you have it in your honor, and Jack has it even though I don't know what the balance is."

"Well, _you_ are upsetting his balance." Chase stood, "He is becoming somewhat good because of you and I find that depressing. He had so much potential, only to waste it as he becomes _friends_ with you."

"He's not wasting it, nor is he becoming good. You know how I helped him steal some Wu." Senshi cocked his head, "Or are you making excuses because you're jealous?"

"An immortal like myself has nothing to be jealous of, Senshi. Goodbye." Chase disappeared just as Jack pulled in.

"You left awfully fast for someone not being jealous..." the digimon murmured to himself.

"Had a good nap?" Jack called.

"Yeah, no thanks to you." Senshi stuck his tongue out at Jack. The human did the same and they shared a laugh, "You're in good spirits. Grab another Wu?"

"Yep." Jack held up a small dog-like contraption, "I think it's one of the transportation Wus. Looks kinda cool, doesn't it?"

"If you think so." Senshi looked away, thinking, _You said caring is a weakness, Chase, yet you've come over here three times in the past few weeks to talk and two of them weren't about anything to do with being evil. I think you might need to look at yourself for once._

"Something wrong?"

"Hm? No, just thinking." Senshi hopped off the table and walked around Jack's legs like a dog, happy that his friend was back.

* * *

_**Notes:**_

_**The Fifi-Xiaogo is a dog-like transportation Wu and, like the Genie Moo, was supposed to be in Season 4 before the cancellation.**_

_**Like Twenty One Pilots, I imagine that Jack also likes **_**The Big Bang Theory_ somewhat._**

**_Yes, I am somewhat of a Chack shipper, so there might be hints of it in here or it might expand. I'm not sure where the story will take me concerning relationships with the exception of the definite RaiKim and that might only be hinted at as well._**

**_Jack admitting that he refused Hannibal's offer is not made up. Over on TVTropes, in the Awesome section on Xiaolin Showdown, it said that Jack had an Offscreen Moment of Awesome where he, of all people, didn't take Hannibal's offer. For all the Butt-Monkey the show makes him out to be, Jack has some serious hidden depths._**

**_I will admit that Hannibal might be a bit OOC, as it has been a LONG time since I watched the entirety of the show, especially with him. If you have any suggestions to help, I'll take them and try to make his character better._**


	7. Enter the Dragon

Heylin Dragon

By: Aubrie1234

* * *

Senshi woke up to the feeling of being carried off somewhere. At first he wondered what was going on before starting to thrash, only to be stopped by Jack hissing, "Stop that!"

"What's going on?" asked the digimon, blinking his eyes open. One of the Jackbots was carrying him while Jack stood at the door to the bedroom, peeking out.

"My parents are home." Jack turned to them, "Stay quiet and keep out of sight with JB-49."

"Why?" Senshi struggled a little more, "I thought they were bad people to you!"

"They are, but if they see you, we're done for." Another Jackbot opened the door to the closet for JB-49, "Just stay here until the coast is clear. I swear things'll be fine."

"Jack!"

"Muzzle him." Senshi growled as the robot clamped claws around his mouth, preventing him from speaking. Unlike the last closet, this one had no way to be seen into or out of. Senshi knew Jack had a point but he didn't want his friend to be hurt. The Jackbots may have helped Jack, but why didn't they realize that their master could get hurt? Why did they do nothing? Senshi struggled a little more until JB-49 basically pinned the digimon to its body in such a way so as to prevent Senshi from moving at all.

"I am sorry, but these are Master Jack's orders." said the robot. Senshi growled again. Gathering energy from the force being used against him, the jewel in his helmet began to glow before he thrashed something fierce, "_Kabutogaeshi!_" JB-49 was forced to let go or else be destroyed and Senshi charged the door but it wouldn't budge.

"What are you doing?!" exclaimed the digimon, "If Jack's your master, shouldn't you be trying to defend him?!"

"Don't make me feel guilty." said the robot, "Master Jack built us and so commands us. If he says not to interfere, then we won't interfere."

"Even if it means he'll get hurt?!" Senshi shook his head, "Then count me out."

"No." A laser gun extended from the robot's chest, "Master Jack has authorized us to use whatever force is necessary to keep you from going to his rescue. I ask that you sit and stay until everything is over."

"_Katana Attack!_" The katana went right through the gun and into the heart of the robot, destroying it. Senshi felt little remorse for what he had done, now focusing on the door. No matter what Jack said, the dragon didn't like leaving him alone. From what he had seen so far, even if it was nice sometimes, mostly the world was just pure evil. It was a wonder how Jack hadn't gotten chewed up and spit out yet, and if he had, then how was he still surviving? That made Senshi want to protect him all the more, so he broke down the door and came face-to-face with four Jackbots, likely having been lying in wait for him. Jack wasn't taking any chances. Senshi tried to find the power inside him to digivolve, but it wouldn't come. Why wouldn't it? He had digivolved just fine before! It looked like he'd have to rely on his own skills to get the job done.

By the time he was done trashing the Jackbots, the room was a mess and it had been a long while since Senshi had heard from Jack. The dragon left the room and made his way to the stairs. From the top, he could hear talking below and so slowly made his way down to peek around the side. From here it entered into the kitchen and a small distance away was the entrance to the living room. Senshi was just catching the tail end of the conversation, where Jack was at the front door with someone, probably his parents. Senshi crouched, ready to run over and defend his human friend, only for the conversation to end and the door to be closed, Jack leaning against it tiredly. He glanced at his watch screen and immediately frowned more than he had been, if that was possible.

"Senshi, come out. I know you're there." Jack began striding into the living room. Senshi slowly came out of his hiding spot and made to meet him there. Even with his pale skin, Jack was turning red, "All I asked was for you to stay with my robots and keep out of sight, but what do you do? You destroy five of them and nearly blow everything to pieces!"

"Jack-"

"I don't wanna hear it! Sleep wherever you want, you're not sleeping in my bed tonight!" With that, the teenage genius strode past the digimon on his way to the lab. Senshi stared after him sadly.

* * *

"Don't even try fooling me this time. I know it's a dream, so what do you want?" Senshi sat on the lab table and glared at the other end, where Hannibal was sitting.

"You don't seem surprised."

"The only surprise is that you decided to ask me now instead of sooner or later." The digimon thumped his tail on the table repeatedly, irritated, "What. Do. You. Want?"

"I want the Third-Arm Sash and the Two-Ton Tunic." Senshi raised an eyebrow.

"And what are you planning on doing with them?"

"You'll see." Hannibal's grin made Senshi uneasy. He hadn't gotten to sleep that well and this nightmare wasn't making anything better.

"Fine." growled the dragon, "Where and when?"

"In three days, in the cave on Mount Hong. See you then." Senshi then woke up from the dream, panting. His fur was drenched in sweat and so he shook some of it off. It was just the couch, Jack wouldn't care if it got sweaty or not. Realizing that sleep would ot come again easily tonight, Senshi made his way down to the lab to talk with Datamon once again.

"Is it done yet?" Datamon rolled his eyes.

"Of course it's done, why would I answer your call except for a friendly chat?" grumbled the stronger digimon, "I can send the syringe to you now. Tell me if it works."

"I will in the morning. It's too late for me to do it right now." Senshi stepped back as Datamon moved around, then pushed a syringe into the screen. The computer lit up and the screen wavered before the tip of the syringe could be seen coming out Senshi's side. Grabbing it in his teeth, Senshi pulled it through. Datamon nodded.

"Good luck." he said.

"You too." Senshi watched as the computer blinked back to normal, then stared at the syringe in his paws. Jack had been mad at him all day previously, but if he could convince the albino to try it and the program worked, then Jack would likely allow him into the safe to grab the Wu and Senshi could then give it to Hannibal. Everything would work out, he just had to be nice and patient.

* * *

"Jack?" Senshi shifted uneasily at the door to the lab. Jack has refused to speak with him that morning, but at least they ate together. That was something.

"What do you want?" grumbled the boy. A Jackbot was at his side, handing him his tools. He was going back and forth between his project and working on the computer. It looked like he was trying to program something. Senshi hopped down the stairs to the lab floor.

"There's something I wanted to say." Senshi glanced to the side, "I… I'm sorry for yesterday. I was only looking out for your best interests." Jack paused. He hadn't turned to the dragon once since Senshi had come in.

"Senshi, the reason why I didn't want you seen yesterday is because what could've happened." Jack glanced over his shoulder, "You said humans once came to your world and slaughtered digimon. If normal humans found out about digimon, they'd likely try to invade your world and slaughter more of you out of fear you might come here and try to slaughter us. Humans have a tendency to kill anything they don't know about that they think is dangerous." Jack went back to working, "There's a whole trope about it. But thank you for your apology. However, I'll need you to stay inside the lab tomorrow, preferably in the closet again."

"Why?"

"My parents came home to tell me yesterday that they're throwing a party for a promotion my father got." Jack huffed, "Thought it might be a good idea to let their only son know that place was about to be trashed and his privacy invaded."

"And you can't do anything?"

"Nope." The teenage genius shook his head, "They're my parents, they do whatever they want, even if I try and ask them not to." Senshi frowned.

"That's terrible. But that's not why I came back. Yes, I did wanna apologize, but it wasn't the main reason." This caused Jack to fully turn toward him.

"What do you mean?"

"I've been talking with a friend of mine about your neuropathy and I think we've found a cure." Senshi lifted the syringe, "If you're about to ask why I didn't just go back to the Digital World that way, it's not how it works."

"You think you can fix it?" Jack rubbed one of his knees, as if feeling the ghostly effects.

"Datamon is very smart. I really think this could help." Senshi approached as he explained, "We went about it as if neuropathy was like a damaged program and created one to fix the damages."

"Fixing a program is one thing, fixing a human body is another." Jack eyes the syringe warily, "And how would we know it would even work? My neuropathy comes and goes, it acts up when I least expect it. I haven't had any spasms for at least a week."

"Would you like a cure or not? I asked Datamon to make this and he's been working on it for weeks." Senshi held out the syringe. Jack took and gazed at it, unsure.

"...I'll try it." He turned to the Jackbot, "JB-31, making sure you have the nearest hospital on speed-dial."

"Yes Master Jack."

"You think it might hurt you?" Senshi asked.

"No, I think it might kill me. The human body is really complex, Senshi. If this goes wrong, I could die."

"Then don't try it! I don't want you dying on me!"

"I know that." Jack pat the digimon's head, "But we don't know if it works unless I try it, you made that point. And if it means I can actually be normal for once," Jack shrugged, "I'd love that."

"Jack..."

"Don't make me have one of the Jackbots restrain you again." Senshi shook his head.

"I don't want you getting hurt because of my mistake, but if you're not gonna listen, go ahead." Senshi shifted uneasily again. Jack observed him for a moment, then lifted the syringe. He felt for a vein first before asking JB-31 to use the syringe. The robot was calm and still and Jack winced as the syringe entered his arm. Senshi didn't turn away, only going over to the small medical cabinet Jack had and raiding for bandages. When he returned, the syringe was empty and Jack was holding his arm. The dragon handed the bandages to the human and helped him wrap the wound.

"How long 'til we know?"

"I don't know." Jack said, "We'll have to wait, but it shouldn't take more than a day or two, I don't think." He rubbed Senshi's back, "No matter what happens, thank you for trying."

"And if it kills you, then I'm sorry."

"I know. If this does work, could Datamon make it again?"

"Maybe. I asked it as a favor." Jack slowly nodded.

"So no miracle cure, then."

"I don't think so."

"Alright..."

* * *

Senshi hated being confined to the lab closet, watching Jack through the slits, but no one could see him. He could hear the music thumping upstairs and gave a small growl.

"Calm down." Jack said, "It'll all be over soon enough." Senshi quieted. The teen had a point. There had also been no side-effects from the program and so Jack thought of himself as finally free from his neuropathy. It had put him in such a good mood the whole day that Senshi asked about the safe, if only Jack could open it.

"Yeah, it's just me and my Jackbots. Why?" the human had asked.

"What if I need to grab a Shen Gong Wu for you and you or the bots couldn't get it?" Jack stared at him, eyebrow raised.

"I hope you're not planning to return all the Wu when I'm not looking."

"Why would I?" Jack shrugged.

"You might see yourself as good but good people still do bad things. The Xiaolin are testament to that."

"I promise I'm not gonna raid the safe." Senshi stared him in the eyes. Jack sighed.

"Okay, fine, get over here..." And so Jack scanned the digimon's pawprint into the database and Senshi could now access the safe. He didn't have a lot more time to get things done, so as soon as the party was over and Jack was asleep, he'd have to get the Wu and put them at Mount Hong. Suddenly a strange smell came into the air and Senshi sniffed. He resisted the urge to growl as he realized that someone was coming to the lab door.

"Hey, Jack." It was a girl. She closed the door behind her and jumped to the lab floor, clad in a black cat costume. Jack groaned.

"Go away, Ashley." Senshi narrowed his eyes. He didn't like this human.

"The name's Katnappé, how many times do I have to tell you? And the party's too boring. I wanted to see my fav evil genius for a while."

"If by 'fav evil genius' you mean 'fav punching bag,' then you're right." Ashley rolled her eyes.

"You're not my punching bag. I like to tease you, sure, but you're not _my_ punching bag." She grinned, "You're the _Warriors'_ punching bag." She snickered a little at that. Senshi couldn't help but let a small growl out. That caused Ashley to pause, "Did you hear something?"

"All I hear is you laughing at me and the party upstairs." Jack deadpanned.

"No, I heard something like a growl." Jack began to pale a little, but because of his light skin, it was hard to see. He continued to keep his composure, even as Ashley turned to her backpack, "Kittens, you smell anything?" Three little white kittens poked their heads out and sniffed the air. Immediately they began hissing and yowling, hopping out and looking at the door. Senshi bore his teeth. If they wanted a fight, he would give it to them.

"I've just got some clothes in the closet." said Jack, "And you might've heard one of my pipes hissing. I've been trying to get around-"

"Definitely not hissing." Ashley strode over to the closet.

"Jackbots!" Two of the robots floated in front of the closet menacingly. They also blocked much of Senshi's view.

"Kitties, attack!" There was a lot of hissing and screeching of metal before the Jackbots became piles of rubble under the tiny kittens, "Now I've gotta see what's in here."

"Ashley, don't!" Jack said, making to stop her, but it was too late. Throwing the door open, she came face-to-face with...nothing. There was nothing in the closet except clothes and robotic parts. Ashley raised an eyebrow, glanced at Jack, then began rummaging through the closet. Jack gave a silent sigh of relief.

"What is in here that you didn't want me to see?" she asked. Her kittens were sniffing around and hissing, having lost the scent of whatever they had smelled before.

"My dirty laundry." said Jack, keeping his voice steady, _Senshi, where are you?_

"Yeah right." Ashley said, but unable to find anything of importance, she huffed and turned away. Her kittens did as well and went back in her backpack, "I guess I'll see you later, loser." She turned to him with a dark smile on her face, "But I'm gonna find out what was in that closet, sooner or later. Just watch me." And with that, she returned upstairs. Jack waited a while to make sure she was gone before going into the closet.

"Senshi?" He looked around. The dragon wasn't tiny by any means, but then again, he was the same size as Omi and the tiny monk could hide very well. Suddenly something came down from the ceiling and Jack yelped, leaping back. Another Jackbot came out, ready to guard, only to find Senshi in the closet a bundle of clothes in his arms.

"One, I don't like that cat girl." He threw the clothes away, "Two, you need to wash these. Pew!" Senshi puts his paws on his nose, trying to block out the smell. Jack rolled his eyes.

"Be glad Ashley didn't catch you. Now go back in and stay there." Jack shooed the digimon into the closet again. Senshi huffed but did as he was told, still holding his nose.

* * *

It was a challenge to sneak out of the mansion without being spotted, but Senshi managed. And when he arrived at the cave, he didn't see anyone, but that didn't mean Hannibal wasn't waiting in the shadows. Bearing his teeth in case Hannibal decided to double-cross him, Senshi laid down the Two-Ton Tunic and Third-Arm Sash before running out and heading back to the mansion. He wanted nothing to do with that nasty bean but he also didn't want anyone knowing his secrets yet. Usually this wouldn't bother him, but with a friend like Jack, he didn't want to be stuck alone in this crazy world.

The next morning, Senshi slept in. Jack let him, knowing they hadn't gone to sleep until late last night, and commanded the Jackbots to make sure Wakebot left the dragon alone. Said Jackbots were a bit more nervous about Senshi because of what had happened to their comrades but agreed to help the digimon. Senshi had only tried to do what he thought was best for Jack and that was understandable, they would've done the same if Jack hadn't ordered them not to. Besides this, it was quite the peaceful morning. Jack thought he could take the day to just relax for once, not trouble himself with rebuilding or building new things. Grabbing some sunglasses and putting on some summer-like clothing, he went out to the building that housed his family's pool. It was just hitting the end of April and things were warming up, making it even better. Of course, to prevent sunburns, the windows were tinted and there were blinds just in case. The lights were also low as well. All the lights in the mansion had brightness settings but Jack preferred them to be low if possible. Lowered the chance of getting an indoor burn. Hadn't gotten one yet but he understood his albinism well enough to not take any chances. Yet this 'perfect' morning was about the be ruined.

First the Jackbots sensed something invading the area around the mansion. It was large and they quickly identified it, releasing alarms and preparing weapons. This started Jack, causing him to fall off his chair and almost into the pool. He was just about to ask what was going on when he saw the stream of smoke curling up from over the mansion walls. He gulped. He recognized that smoke.

"Plan 332! Initiate heavy lockdown!" Steels doors slammed down over all entrances to the buildings of the mansion. Jack doubted it would hold but he wasn't taking any chances, not with that thing, "Someone call Wuya and ask her why the fuck Mala Mala Jong is after me!"

"Yes sir." One of the Jackbots started a speaker call as firing lasers, clashes of metal, and roaring could be heard from outside. Hopefully Mala would leave the mansion mostly intact. His parents would kill him if the mansion was turned to rubble. Suddenly, the ringing stopped and the Jackbot began speaking in another voice.

"_Hello? Jack?_"

"Wuya, call off Mala Mala Jong right now!" Jack tried to keep his voice steady but there was still a squeak.

"_What? He should be at the Temple now, not-_" Jack froze as, with a screech of metal, Mala tore off the steel coverings and crashed through the window. With a yelp, Jack ran to the other side of the pool. Unfortunately for him, there was no way out of the building except where Mala had come in, seeing as the pool was not directly connected to the house. It was in times like this that that irritated Jack to no end.

"Call him off!"

"_Mala-_" The demon was having none of it. With a snarl, it crushed the Jackbot under the Fist of Tebigong. Having not expected any attacks, that was Jack's last line of defense. Now he was alone.

"N-now hold on, big guy! I haven't done anything to you!" Jack glaced around, trying to figure a way out of this situation. He could jump in the pool and it could possibly save him, with Mala being made of fire after all. But then again, being a magical fire and Jack having some of the worst luck _ever_, the water could just as well make Mala stronger. Growling, the demon snapped out the Third-Arm Sash and grabbed Jack. The heat from the magical fire was making him sweat in seconds and likely was going to leave a burn on his light skin. Jack struggled, wondering if this was going to be the end.

"_TERA BURST!_" Mini-explosions ricochet off Mala's back. The demon turned and saw Senshi standing in the hole, glaring at the demon, "Leave him alone! _Katana Attack!_" The sword went through the fire without damage and the demon hissed.

"Senshi, run!" Jack pleaded. Drawing his arm back, Mala punched the dragon with his free hand, sending Senshi flying, the tiny dragon unable to dodge, "Senshi!" Now it was likely that his only living friend was badly hurt if not worse. It took a lot of strength to take a blow from Mala Mala Jong head-on. Jack closed his eyes tightly, wanting it to be over already and hoping that Senshi would survive at the very least. But then suddenly more clangs came to Mala's back and the demon turned again, only to come face-to-face with a dragon, similar yet different to Senshi.

"_Boujinha!_" it shouted, charing headfirst into the Two-Ton Tunic and somehow hurting or surprising Mala enough to let go of Jack. Having been held over the pool, the redhead was dropped into it and quickly came up for air. Above him, he saw the dragon constricting Mala with its own body. The demon was snarling and trying to free itself but the Heylin fire seemed to have no affect on the dragon. After some more struggling, the dragon plunged its head into Mala's chest through the fire and the demon screamed before being forced back into a heap of Shen Gong Wu. The Heart of Jong was beating in the dragon's mouth, slowing down. The dragon threw the Wu away and floated over Jack, extending a large claw. Jack took it gratefully and the dragon flew him back onto solid ground.

"You okay?" asked the dragon in a slightly deeper voice than Senshi's. Jack nodded, panting from the experience.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. But you- just- _wow_." He dragged a hand through his hair, "You're still Senshi, right? You just… 'digivolved?'" The dragon nodded.

"I'm Ginryumon now. Champion-level and a lot stronger than Ryudamon."

"You've also got big lips." Senshi rolled his eyes.

"But you're sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, definitely." Jack glanced at the Wu floating around in the pool and frowned, "Mala was made from the Two-Ton Tunic and the Third-Arm Sash. Those are our Wu." The teenage genius began glaring at Senshi, "How the hell did Wuya get a hold of them?!"

"Wuya didn't, Hannibal asked for them."

"What?!" Jack yelped, "So you mean to tell me you go behind my back, give these Wu to Hannibal, and he gives them to Wuya and she sics Mala Mala Jong on me?! Do you have an _idea_ how dangerous Mala is?! I was almost killed!"

"Jack-"

"I forgave you for destroying my Jackbots, but this is too far! Keeping secrets isn't worth nearly killing someone over!"

"Jack-"

"No, Senshi, I don't care what you have to say, just get out!" Jack pointed to the open hole furiously, "Go away and find someone else to manipulate! Go ahead and kill someone while you're at it!"

"I didn't-"

"GO!" Senshi's jaw locked shut. It was clear that Jack was in no mood to listen. Giving the teen a forlorn look, Senshi floated out the hole and off the grounds, no idea of where to go but knowing where he wasn't allowed. Jack watched the digimon leave, then collapsed onto his ass and wiped at the tears threatening to escape his eyes. He thought he could trust Senshi to tell him everything, but to do this and not tell him? That just didn't sit with Jack.

He'd always had trust issues, abandonment issues, if you had an issue with something he probably had it. He hid them well, his feelings and his crushed dreams, but sometimes they always spilled over and he had no way to contain or fix them. He had opened his heart to Senshi after raising the digimon somewhat and nearly getting killed because of such a mistake had put him on edge. He hadn't felt so sad or angry in over a month because of his new friend, but now things were beginning to change. He needed to go into his lab, put on some emo music, and just lock himself up for the rest of the day with his Jackbots. He had to get his mind off things and calm down, but was it ever that easy?


	8. Tear In My Heart

Heylin Dragon

By: Aubrie1234

* * *

Chase didn't need his cats to tell him when someone entered the premises of his home. He could sense that for himself. And when he found them limping back with bruises, broken bones, and cuts, he decided to see who the mysterious new visitor was. He wasn't really surprised when he saw the dragon floating in the air that looked a lot like Senshi.

"I see you have changed form."

"I didn't come for your surprise. I want a Showdown." Chase raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" Senshi bore his teeth.

"Just do it." Chase narrowed his eyes.

"Very well." He gestured to one of his tigers, who padded over with a bridle-like Wu, a jewel hanging from it, "What do you wager?"

"Nothing." Senshi grabbed the other end of the Wu and it began to glow. Chase frowned but allowed Senshi to continue, "A triathlon. Running, fighting, and solving problems."

"Where to?"

"It doesn't matter. Also, we don't use our powers and you're in lizard form." Chase transformed before the digimon's eyes and growled.

**"Very well."** rumbled the everlord,** "Xiaolin Showdown!"** The lair began to shake as the Wu glowed brightly, the cats running away so as not to get caught in it. The ground crumbled away, leaving two thin tracks. They stretched from where the two stood to a far distance away with arches every so often. At the very end was a small clearing.

"_Gong Yi Tanpai!_" they shouted. Because flight was part of Senshi's powers, he had to run to catch up to the much more athletic Chase. When the everlord came to the first arch, a slab of rock slammed down to block him. On the slab was writing. This must've been the 'solving problems' portion Senshi had wanted. A simple math problem, Chase solved it in seconds and moved on. How were they supposed to fight with how far apart the tracks were? Maybe at the end? As he came to the next stop, Chase looked over. Senshi was jogging along, huffing and puffing as if not in shape. Chase snorted before turning to the problem. Unlike the last one, this was a literature problem and much more complex. It was a good thing that he read up over the years, _The Masque of the Red Death _was not exactly a story a lot of people read. Once it was done, he glanced over again and somehow, Senshi was moving ahead of him. Looks like he had to work a little more to get ahead. Tail twitching, Chase ran ahead on all-fours. Even though he didn't know why Senshi had asked for a Showdown, he was actually having fun. It had been a long time since he had felt it. It was a good feeling.

After the last arch, Chase was the first to arrive in the clearing, Senshi close behind. The digimon had said that they weren't allowed to use their powers, so they'd have to fight by strength alone. Senshi was unfazed, having to face Chase, and this somewhat surprised the immortal. Even though Senshi hadn't flinched at his transformation before, he still found it astonishing that the digimon showed no fear towards him. He was also shocked when Senshi struck, much faster than when the digimon had been running. It caught Chase by surprise and he found himself gripped in the coils of the dragon's lithe, strong body. He pushed against them, but Senshi didn't budge. The everlord respected such immense strength from an unassuming foe, but with a mighty roar, he gave one last effort to free himself. Senshi barely moved.

**"Impressive."** Chase rumbled,** "I concede defeat."** And with that, the area turned back to normal. The Wu was laying at Senshi's feet, but he kicked back to Chase.

"You can have it, I don't want it." As he transformed back, Chase picked it up.

"Then why challenge me for it? What was the Showdown for?" Senshi, once again floating in the air, paused.

"I… I guess I wanted to prove something, maybe to myself or to Jack?" He shook his head, "I honestly don't know anymore." Chase crossed his arms.

"Then allow me to invite you to my lair so that we may talk. You have been by Jack's side for weeks before showing up here. Something must have happened between the two of you."

"Something did, but I'm not sure I wanna discuss it with _you_."

"You may leave, but I am offering tea if you come along." Senshi thought about it.

"...Alright. Need to get a few things off my chest anyway." The dragon followed Chase back to the lair and they went inside together. Chase had one of his cats take the Wu back to where it was kept and guided Senshi to the small den himself. Another cat was sent to bring a tray of tea for the two of them. Chase took a seat on one of the chairs while Senshi curled up on the couch. Not once since he'd arrived had the dragon returned to his previous form. Maybe he couldn't? Another question he could ask.

"First, please explain the circumstances of this visit." Chase spoke. Senshi shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, I guess it started when I first saw Hannibal in my dreams..." Chase listened to Senshi's story, face unchanging. At last he spoke, "I believe you have been duped, Senshi."

"Duped?"

"Tricked."

"What?!" Senshi sat up, indignant.

"Hannibal does not have the Moby Morpher nor the Shadow of Fear. I know that for a fact." Chase leaned on a hand with a sly smirk, "I also know that it is Wuya who has those Wu." It was a struggle not to snicker when he heard the squawk leave Senshi's mouth.

"Where is she?! I'll get back at her for this!"

"Calm yourself. Wuya ia not your problem right now." The digimon, who had been bristling in rage, forced himself to sit on the couch again, realizing the sense in Chase's words.

"Right. It's Jack." A panther approached with a tray in its mouth. Both took a cup to drink.

"Correct. And from what you have told me, it seems that both of you need to apologize. You for bringing the Wu to Wuya without consulting Spicer, and Spicer for his outburst."

"But will he listen? He didn't want to when he had me leave."

"If there is one thing that I know about Spicer, it is his inability to hold grudges. Yes, he will be angry at you for some time, but he will take you back. His wish to have friends and be accepted, either as Heylin or Xiaolin, is so great it will not matter to him that you almost inadvertently killed him." Senshi didn't speak. There was a saddened look on his face.

"He really doesn't have any friends, does he?" Senshi curled up more, "I didn't think he was joking when he said it, but it still hurts to hear."

"He has his robotics."

"Yeah, but they're not living, breathing beings. They obey his every word. Sometimes it's nice to have a friend you can argue with that might last longer than a robot." Senshi looked at Chase, "Why aren't you his friend if you care about him?" Chase narrowed his eyes.

"I do not care about Spicer. He is nothing but an annoyance with the potential of something great."

"You and I both know that there's more to it than that." Senshi stood and floated off the couch, "For being an immortal, you don't seem to know a lot about relationships."

"I said I do not-"

"If you don't care, even if it's not romantic, then why did you go see Jack three times in the span of two weeks? Twice you never really talked about being evil, even though you're supposed to be one of the most evil guys around."

"What is your point?"

"Check yourself. You may be evil, but you have honor and you care about him. You hide it well, but I can see the details." Chase let loose a growl as Senshi put his empty cup back on the tray.

"You know nothing of me."

"If you say so." Senshi bowed, "Thank you for talking this out with me. I'll take my leave." Chase watched the digimon, then turned to his cats.

"If he returns, leave him be and report directly to me." They nodded and one gave a rumble, asking a question, "Astonishing as it seems, I do trust him. That does not mean I like him." The cat nodded. Understandable.

* * *

Senshi didn't try sneaking back into the mansion. There was no point. If Jack wasn't angry anymore, he'd be accepted inside. If not, the Jackbots would shoo him away. Senshi was not afraid of the results he might get, only about Jack's feelings or safety. At the gates, he pressed the intercom button and waited.

"Go away." Jack snapped through the crappy speaker, "I know it's you, Senshi."

"I came to apologize. I'm not asking to be forgiven. You didn't let me say it before."

"I don't wanna hear it."

"Chase said you didn't hold grudges, though..." Senshi murmured under his breath, but the speaker still caught it.

"Wait, you went to Chase?"

"Yeah. I didn't go see him because I wanted to talk."

"Then why him?" Senshi paused.

"I challenged him to a Showdown and won." Senshi lowered his head, "Don't ask me why because I don't really know myself. I might've done it to prove something to myself or to you, but I don't know. He managed to get me to talk to him about what happened, though, and so he said that we should apologize to each other."

"And what should I apologize about?" Jack was hostile again.

"I don't care if you do or not, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry and I hope you take me back." There was a pause.

"...One more chance. I usually get fucked over if I give others a second chance but it's just how I am. Come on in." The gates opened. Senshi hesitated but floated inside. He greeted the Jackbots, who greeted him back, though not as merrily. Senshi entered the house and made his way to the basement lab. When he entered the room, however, he began to growl.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"I came to give an explanation." Wuya said, looking somewhat irritated at the dragon's appearance. In the background there was some music coming from Jack's phone, the teen ignoring both of them as he worked on something new.

"Well, you're not getting any for trying to hurt him." Senshi growled.

"I didn't try to hurt Jack, how many times do I have to say it?" Wuya snapped.

"Don't try to fool me. I _know_ it was you who tricked me by being Hannibal." This caused Jack to pause.

"Is that true?" He glared at the witch.

"Yes, I admit it."

"Another reason why I still hold a grudge." Jack went back to his work and turned the music up a little more. Senshi and Wuya moved out of the lab and to the living room so that they could keep talking without the music overcoming their voices.

"Honestly, I don't know _how_ he stands that stuff."

"Shut up, you have no right here." Senshi said, "You manipulated me and nearly killed Jack. Why shouldn't I just destroy you where you stand?"

"Because I didn't send Mala Mala Jong after Jack!" Wuya pointed at Senshi menacingly, "Listen, you ungrateful dragon. I sent the demon after the Warriors, no one else. I had no idea he went after Jack until it was almost too late." She crossed her arms, "Thank you for protecting him, by the way."

"I thought you didn't like him."

"I don't, but I don't want any harm to come to him, either."

"Coulda fooled me." Senshi drawled, not believing her for a second. Wuya rolled her eyes.

"As strange as it might sound, I care about Jack. I owe him for more than a few things."

"How so?" Wuya moved away, thinking of what to say. She strode over to a shelf.

"A long time ago, I was a great witch. No one could defeat me, until Dashi came around and trapped me in this." She picked up a wooden box from the shelf, "He trapped me in this puzzle box and I was stuck there until Jack found the box and freed me. I was still stuck as a spirit, but I showed him the ways of the Heylin. He was quite competent in the beginning and still has great potential to be evil. I owe him for freeing me, among other things." She put the box back on the shelf, "I've only tried to actually kill him once. I've left him alone since then. We may not like each other, but we are somewhat close. I wouldn't try to kill him again."

"Then why not just ask for the Wu?" Senshi asked, now a little calmer. Wuya had spoken with sincerity and, despite his strong distrust, he believed what she'd said.

"Jack wouldn't give them to me. He'd know immediately and wouldn't trust me not to go after him again. That's why I tricked you."

"It's things like this that make him not trust you, not to mention the history you both have." Senshi said, "Did you explain what happened?"

"I did. He barely believed me, just like you." Wuya put a finger to her lips, contemplating, "I didn't want to mention this while you were angry, but you've changed form. Very interesting." Senshi narrowed his eyes.

"I think you've overstayed your welcome again." he growled. Wuya shrugged.

"Expect me to come back eventually. But please believe that I didn't want any harm to come to Jack." With a wave of her hand, she was gone. Senshi looked around, sniffing and making sure she was gone before he returned to the basement.

"_When the leader of the bad guys sang something soft and soaked in pain, I heard the echo from his secret hideaway..._" Jack was humming along to the song, which had just begun.

"_The Judge_, huh?" Jack turned the song down.

"Yeah." The albino's voice was cold. Senshi sat on the table and curled up a little.

"I don't expect you to forgive me, but thank you for giving me a second chance." Senshi focused deep inside and released the energy holding the digivolution, allowing him to return to his Rookie form. Noticing the light, Jack turned around.

"You're back to normal."

"Yeah." Senshi bowed his head. There was a pause.

"...I did give you another chance, but give me time. I don't take betrayals of trust lightly."

"Even if I didn't actually betray you?"

"..." Jack said nothing, turning back to his project. Senshi resigned himself to Jack not talking to him and so prepared to take a nap, only to be interrupted when the human began, "Do you know why I wanna rule the world?"

"Why?"

"All my life I've been bullied and mistreated. It's made me feel small and worthless. I built robots to get around that, but sometimes it just doesn't cut it. If I wanna feel like I'm a great person, then I'll make everyone else feel small and worthless. From what I've heard, if it wasn't for Omi, I could've done it once."

"And me?"

"I don't know. I would've made you my right-hand guy if this hadn't happened."

"Would you still do it?" Jack slowly turned back to him. The teen's face was unmoving, unemotional.

"Don't ask me that right now." And that was that. Jack refused to say anything else and Senshi understood. He could only hope that he could repair his relationship with the human. Chase said that Jack didn't hold grudges, but he was wrong. The redhead certainly held them, even when he gave others more chances. He wanted friends, but that didn't mean he didn't hold their offenses over their heads. Spite was a large part of Jack's personality, apparently.

* * *

_**I'm sorry the chapter's not too long but after this there should be a little more to the story. Please read & review!**_

_**EDIT: Also, the Wu used in the Showdown is the Rio Reverso, for clarification.**_


	9. Scandal in Armenia

Heylin Dragon

By: Aubrie1234

* * *

After a day or two, Jack began warming up to Senshi again, which the dragon was grateful for. That meant things between them were repairing. Jack had also begun trying to teach himself some martial arts to compete with the Xiaolin monks, now that he didn't have to worry about his neuropathy. Senshi had offered to help and Jack had accepted, the human realizing that having Senshi help him would be best. The dragon knew how to fight well and instinctively and was really the only one he could turn to besides his robots. Chase had quickly given up on teaching him anything and there was no way Wuya or the monks would help him. It was just the two of them, with the Jackbots instructing Jack on movements and Senshi helping the human perfect them.

"This is the _ude gaeshi_, or arm reversal." said the humanoid Jackbot before performing the move on another humanoid Jackbot, "This is a sacrificial move, so be careful when you use it. Related to the..." As the Jackbot gave other facts and instructions, Senshi watched as Jack practiced trying the movement, not wanting to use force until he was sure he was getting the move right. Senshi had noticed how fast and powerful Jack was, even though he was human. He almost seemed on equal level with the Warriors and the digimon had been told that they were much stronger than the average human. There was hope for Jack yet.

"Okay, I think I wanna try it now." Jack stood up from the last practice of the move. He nodded to Senshi and the digimon nodded back. Hopping off the chair he'd been sitting in, he floated in the air and digivolved to Ginryumon. His size in Rookie form wouldn't be able to help Jack much but in his Champion form he was the right size and lithe enough to help Jack work out the kinks in his moves. He'd figured out that he could finally digivolve now, but how far could he go? He didn't want to try it just yet, since there was no need, and so just kept it to himself.

"Ready?" Jack answered by charging forward and pushing against the digimon's chest. Senshi immediately pushed back and Jack used that force and moment to send the digimon flying over his body, dropping to the ground to do so. Even if there hadn't been any mats, Senshi wouldn't have been hurt. Back in the air in seconds, the dragon gave a smile.

"You're getting better."

"Thanks." Jack smiled back as Senshi helped him to his feet. The digimon de-digivolved back to Ryudamon and yawned.

"I think we've done enough for today." he said.

"Yeah, it's getting late." Jack agreed, then dismissed the Jackbots. They would work again in the morning. Jack sent Senshi to bed while he went to shower. The dragon was glad that Jack was starting to trust him again, if slowly. It was progress, at least. As he listened to Jack sing in the shower, something occurred to Senshi that he hadn't really thought about before. He'd have to ask Jack about it when the teenage genius returned, curious about his thought. As the albino came in, rubbing the water out of his hair with a towel while another hung around his waist, Senshi wasted no time.

"What's with the symbol on the Jackbots?" Jack paused.

"What do you mean?"

"The grey little mask thing that's on the front of all of them and on your helipack. What is that?"

"Oh, that?" Jack went back into the bathroom and brought his helipack with him. The mask Senshi spoke of was also the clip between the four straps, "It's something I made. It's based on african masks for good luck. I put it on all my robots so that they might have a chance to have good luck, all of us having good luck together." The albino gave a sigh, "Never seems to work, though."

"Maybe not always, but I'm sure it works sometimes. And Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for talking with me again." Jack paused.

"Can't stay mad at you forever." he mused, "But this doesn't mean I trust you any more than before."

"I know that. I'm just glad we're talking again." Senshi curled up on the bed, "'Night."

"...'Night." Senshi opened an eye, wondering why there'd been hesitation in Jack's voice, but there seemed to be nothing wrong. The digimon didn't dismiss the word, though, even as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Get up!" Jack was hissing as he shook Senshi awake.

"Wha-? What's going on?" Senshi yawned as Jack bustled around. It was still dark out, why was the redhead trying to get him up?

"A new Shen Gong Wu! We're going out to get it!"

"You want me to come with you?" Jack paused.

"I'm going whether you're coming or not, I just thought you might wanna come."

"Sure I do, just give me a second." Senshi stretched and ran out of the room after his human friend. Soon after the jet took off and they flew to Armenia to find the next Wu.

"How many Wu are there? I don't think I've ever asked you before."

"Wuya once said there were hundreds of Wu hidden all over the place." Jack said, "But look at those mountains!"

"Yeah." Senshi agreed, "But I've seen bigger."

"Oh really?"

"And weirder. There's this canyon in the Digital World where buildings are coming out of its sides. It's really cool but it's usually infested with Dokugumon."

"I'd love to see that." Jack banked the jet to the right, "I'm setting this down outside of town so we can get our bearings and figure out where to go next."

"And we got here just in time." Senshi pointed into the sky, "Look." Jack glanced up and frowned.

"Great, the Warriors just got here. Let's hope my new skills in martial arts and your digivolution help us out." As soon as the jet was down and the Jack's phone was synced with the Detector, they were off. There was no telling where the Wu was and they had to get to it before the Warriors did. But of course, since Senshi wasn't exactly normal to have around, they had to stick to the rooftops for the most part and discussed what to do next time they had to go into a city together.

"I'll bring a disguise and we can put it on you and you won't look too much out of place."

"I don't know how you'd hide my tail and face, though."

"We'll see about that." They kept moving. As they did so, Senshi began to hum.

"_Three lights are lit but the fourth one's out, I can tell 'cause it's a bit darker than the last night's bout..._" Senshi hummed. Jack grinned and joined in, singing the next verse as they jumped from roof to roof with the help of their respective powers.

"_I forgot about the drought of light bulbs in this house so I head out down a route I think is heading south._" Jack sung, "_But I'm not good with directions and I hide behind my mouth, I'm a pro at imperfections and I'm best friends with my doubt..._"

"_And now that my mind's out and now I hear it clear and loud, I'm thinking 'Wow, I probably should've stayed inside my house.'_" Senshi sung with him. They continued humming TOP songs as they moved on until they heard the monks speaking. Quieting, they hunkered down on the edge of a roof to listen in.

"I know it's around here somewhere..." Dojo was saying, "I just don't know _where_."

"And why not? You're supposed to know where they all are!" said Kimiko.

"It's been 1500 years, so sue me!" The Warriors kept moving on, walking in the streets below. Once they were gone, Senshi and Jack turned to one another.

"Nice rapping." Senshi commented, "Especially on _Kitchen Sink_ and _Levitate_. Too fast for me."

"It's not a forte of mine but with some practice I can sing along just fine. Snow's where it's really at for me." Senshi raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" Jack nodded.

"Before I started building robots, I was always asking my mom for things to do, like having knife-throwing lessons. She had me learn ice-skating instead. It actually got me into winter sports and I've won a few Showdowns thanks to those skills." Jack shrugged, "Never did anything else with them though."

"Maybe you'll have to use them this time, with these mountains so close." Senshi glanced back, "Who knows what the Showdown will be like."

"Yeah, but let's keep going and find it first so we don't have to do a Showdown." The dragon nodded and they kept following the signals from Jack's phone. Eventually they had to go down to street level when they saw the glowing Wu perched on top of an awning. It looked like a golden badger, crouched and ready to attack. Senshi and Jack reached for it, only for it to also be touched by none other than Raimundo and Omi.

"Why does this keep happening to us?" Senshi groaned, the four standing on the unstable awning.

"For once, why don't you just let me leave with a Wu? Can't you just let that happen?" Jack whined.

"Sorry, Jack, no can do." said Rai.

"And we will be taking our Wu back, too!" Omi said.

"But what's the challenge?" asked Senshi. The humans glanced around until Rai came up with an idea.

"Race to the top." Rai pointed, "The Wu's gonna be on that light post up high and whoever gets to it first wins. We wager the Reversing Mirror and Star Hanabi. You?"

"Woozy Shooter and Lasso Boa-Boa." Jack gave a confident grin.

"Let's go, _Xiaolin Showdown_!" Immediately the Wu floated out of their hands and the light post began lengthening, growing taller and taller. The sidewalks broke up and curled around the post, leaving some space in between them and the post. The buildings trapped them in a round arena as the ground gave way, stretching down into fog and a bottomless pit. Because the sidewalks were too steep to stand on, awnings and windows poked out of the buildings for them to stand on. When things had settled down, Senshi looked up and gulped. The Wu was a _long_ way above them.

"_Gong Yi Tanpai!_" Immediately Omi and Rai were hopping from windows and awnings.

"See if you can go up between the sidewalks." Jack said, taking out the Lasso Boa-Boa, "You have the Woozy Shooter, either get to the Wu first or undermine the Warriors."

"Not like I have a choice." Senshi examined the Wu he was given before Jack was gone, flying up with his helipack to get to the monks. Senshi gripped the Woozy Shooter before flying over to the sidewalks. The space between the spirals was large enough for him to slip in and so he poked his head in. Immediately there was a rumbling from above and Senshi took his head back just in time as a surge of energy cascaded down. Looks like there was no way he was doing that, then.

"Hey!" The dragon looked up and saw a window crumble under Raimundo, giving away under his weight, but he managed to stick the landing on an awning below. Seems that not all windows and awnings were stable. Senshi used his flight to catch up as Jack tried to use the lasso to drag the monks off course while they were in the air and having to dodge the fire of the Star Hanabi. Senshi tried to aim the Woozy Shooter but the Warriors were moving too fast for him. He flew up to Jack.

"Switch with me? I know I can't hit them, they're moving too fast."

"Then see if you can lasso one." Jack switched their Wu. Senshi twirled the lasso, trying to aim, and threw it , crying, "_Lasso Boa-Boa!_" Immediately the lasso turned into a snake and attacked Omi.

"_Star Hanabi!_" Omi used the Wu to deflect the snake but it gave Jack enough time to aim.

"_Woozy Shooter!_"

"_Reversing Mirror!_" Rai came in at the last second and deflected the purple smoke back at them. Senshi dodged but Jack wasn't so lucky.

"Jack!" Senshi tried to help steady the human, who now didn't look so good. There was a smile on his face but he was giggling like mad and it didn't sit well with Senshi. It was also around that point that Jack's helipack began to putter out, running out of fuel. The dragon's eyes widened and he tried to guide Jack to an awning or window, but the teen was too heavy for him to hold up for too long and so he'd have to resort to digivolving.

"Ryudamon digivolve to… Ginryumon!" He curled around Jack protectively and landed the two of them on a firm window. Jack was still giggling.

"That was so cool!"

"Snap out of it!" Senshi pleaded then looked up. It was at that moment that the Warriors grabbed the Wu and the Showdown was over. As everything went back to normal, Senshi and Jack still on the awning while Rai and Omi were on the ground with the Wu, Senshi couldn't help but feel a surge of rage at their cheers. Making sure Jack wouldn't move off and get himself into trouble, Senshi flew down to them.

"Woah!" The Warriors got into fighting stances, not having expected this.

"We won, you don't have any right to steal the Wu!" said Raimundo, "And how did you change form?"

"That's not why I came down here." Senshi growled, ignoring the question, "Neither of you looked back to make sure Jack was okay after making him woozy like that. He would've fallen if I hadn't been there! He could have _died_ and none of you even _care_."

"The Showdowns never kill anyone." said Clay.

"Actually..."

"Dojo, do you mean to tell us we've been _risking our lives_ every time we do a Showdown?!" Kimiko exclaimed. The green dragon winced.

"It's only happened once or twice a long time ago. I never thought to mention it since no one's gotten seriously hurt!"

"Well, next time, think a little more carefully before you try doing something like that!" Senshi snapped, "Next time I might not be there! What then?! Jack hasn't been getting stronger and stronger like you guys! Keep that in mind next time you fight!" And with that, Senshi went back to Jack.

"Pretty lizard!" He hugged Senshi.

"Yeah yeah..." Senshi took Jack in his arms before flying away, heading back to the jet. By the time they got back, the effects were wearing off. Jack was holding his head and groaning by the time they finally landed.

"What hit me?" He looked around, "We didn't win, did we?" Senshi shook his head.

"No."

"Well, you win some, lose some." Jack gave a downtrodden sigh.

"You nearly died!" Senshi was incredulous, "You would have fallen to your death and all you can say is _that_?!"

"Hey, before you came along, I went through worse Showdowns than this. One time I was even competing over an active volcano. You don't have to worry about me." Senshi dedigivolved but was still giving Jack an incredulous look.

"That doesn't make me feel any better..." Jack rolled his eyes.

"Get used to it." The redhead turned and climbed in the jet. Senshi climbed in after him and they returned to the mansion. But when they returned, Senshi was on alert. There was something different in the air again and he growled, standing in front of Jack protectively. Jack glanced around as well, wary and wondering what Senshi was sensing. He glanced at his watch computer, only to find it unresponsive. None of the electronics were responding at all and it had been a miracle the jet had still been working enough to fit through the hole. What was going on?

"Come out right now!" Senshi snarled, "What do you want?" Suddenly, a large yellow eye blinked in the darkness. Jack yelped as it was joined by two smaller ones and a huge being stepped out of the shadows. It was gray with a black-horned helmet and red wings. No mouth could be seen and two of the three eyes were in its clawed hands. Senshi growled. It took a step forward and pushed aside the table with ease.

"_Katana Attack!_" The sword bounced harmlessly off the monster's chest. This wasn't good. The monster frowned, or as much as it could with one eye.

"You know, I'm kinda disappointed you don't recognize me." it spoke, even though it had no mouth. It was a deep male voice, resonating and dark. Senshi blinked and tilted his head..

"Wait, Impmon?!" The monster brought its claws up and made a gesture as if he was tipping a hat.

"That's my name, don't wear it out." Senshi grinned.

"Wow. You've certainly gotten yourself into a high position!"

"You _know_ this guy?" Jack squeaked. Senshi turned to him.

"Oh, right. Jack, this is Impmon. Or is it Ghoulmon now?" The monster digimon shrugged.

"I go by either." Impmon held out a claw, "Nice to meet you!" Jack stared back at the eye in his palm and just shook one of the claws.

"Pleasure." he murmured, "Is it you that I have to blame for deactivating all my electronics?" Impmon looked sheepish, tapping his claws together.

"A little, yeah."

"Why are you here? _How_ are you here?" Senshi asked.

"The computer." Impmon frowned, "I'm glad I found you but you have to come back."

"Why?" Senshi frowned, "If this is about _him_, I'm not going back."

"He's not doing any damage but it feels like he's tearing the world apart looking for you!" Impmon said. Senshi shook his head.

"Please, just don't. I'm not going back to him and I don't want you to tell him where I am. For once, I'm living my life without his judgement! I love it here. Please don't take this away from me." Impmon was silent, arms crossed. He gave a sigh.

"Fine." he huffed, "I'll do my best but I can't guarantee anything."

"I'm not asking you to." Senshi hugged one of his muscled legs, "Thank you." Impmon pat the dragon's head.

"You owe me one." After the hug, Impmon turned to Jack's main computer, "Also, sorry about trashing your stuff." Before Jack could say anything, the digimon touched the screen and it lit up before, in a flash, Impmon disappeared. As soon as Impmon was gone, the lights came back on and everything was whirring again. Jack turned to Senshi.

"What did he mean by all that? Who are you running from?"

"Not important." Jack raised an eyebrow. Clearly the dragon was lying but if he pushed, Jack knew that Senshi still wouldn't elaborate and so he left it be. Senshi had his secrets from his life in the Digital World and Jack respected that. He had his own secrets too. As it was, he began double-checking that all the robots and other things were back online. From the reports, it was like a mixture of power-surge and interference had been in the building since Impmon was there. Had the digimon put off such strong power he shut down everything around him? Then why hadn't it happened with Senshi? Was it because Senshi wasn't strong enough yet or something? Whatever the case, it seemed there was nothing Jack could do to prevent another event like this if another powerful digimon decided to visit. He could only wonder what was going on and who Senshi was running from...

* * *

_**Notes:**_

_**Impmon - Vilemon - Mummymon - Ghoulmon (Impmon's digivolution if you were wondering how an Impmon could digivolve to Ghoulmon)**_

_**Jack really does have some sort of left-field ability with winter sports. The few times we've seen that in action (**_**Ring of the Nine Dragons **_**and**_** Screams of the Siren**_**) he was very good at the Showdowns, winning one of the two. He also has good reflexes because of those sports and likely would've been a great martial artist if he wanted to. He's training now in the story so that he can catch up to the monks.**_

_**I imagine, with how tough some of the Showdowns are, people must've gotten hurt a lot and maybe even died a few times, yet none of these guys show much fear in the face of the Showdowns.**_

_**The canyon with the buildings is real and is in the episode**_** The Gorge of Deception!**_** from Digimon Data Squad.**_

_**I realize that the Honey Badger is a Wu from Chronicles, but it's also a unique Wu because it has no counterpart from the original series. After I run out of unique Wu to use I'll put in some of my own if need be.**_

_**Now, please read & review!**_


	10. Getting Real With Wuya

Heylin Dragon

By: Aubrie1234

* * *

Senshi, as Ginryumon, floated in the air as Jack tried to lug his stuff up the stairs, a little worried.

"You sure you don't want me to do that?"

"I've got it." Jack grunted, "Just take the rest of it upstairs."

"Alright." Senshi floated out of the lab, carrying robot parts on his back. Jack's parents wanted him to clean out the lab, something they had him do at least twice a year or so, and Jack was taking it all out to the recycling dumpster out back. This was something Jack very much hated but had no choice in the matter and Senshi could tell.

"Why don't you just ignore them?" Senshi had asked.

"If I do, they'll cut off my allowance and I won't be building robots anymore." Senshi nodded in understanding, leading to now. He curled up and threw the robot parts off his back and onto the sled that they were going to use. Going back inside to the door to the kitchen, he heard a _CRASH_ and sighed.

"Told him that wasn't gonna end well." Senshi flew back to the lab and found Jack at the bottom of the stairs, groaning as one of his Jackbots helped him to his feet.

"Are you hurt, Master Jack?" it beeped.

"I'm fine." Jack waved it off. The robot made a few unsure noises but let go of Jack, allowing the teenage genius to stand. Senshi began picking up the fallen pieces as Jack went on, "You're dismissed."

"Yes sir." The Jackbot left. Senshi opened his mouth but Jack beat him to it, "Don't say it."

"Wasn't gonna say anything."

"Yeah right." Jack joined him in picking up the parts. Once everything was back together, Jack with a lighter load, they made their way up the stairs, through the kitchen, and outside to the sled. Once the parts were dumped on it, Jack hooked Senshi to the sled. Once everything was secure, Senshi pulled and they moved across the grounds.

"...Jack?"

"What?"

"How much would it take for you to trust me again?" Jack glanced at him.

"A bit of stuff plus time. It's been over a week, but I don't know if I can trust you again."

"Even if you don't trust me, I trust you." Jack shook his head.

"You trust too much."

"No, I just know who I can and can't trust." Silence came down on them again. It was around then that they arrived at the dumpster. Jack opened the top and Senshi grabbed the sled, lifting it before tilting and dumping the robot parts into the container. As they headed back, Senshi added, "You know that I have my own past in the Digital World that I don't wanna share with you. It's because of that past that I didn't trust humans until I met you. Like I said, humans killed digimon when they came and I thought all humans were the same. But then I came here and you took me in, so I decided to give you a chance." Senshi turned to him, "I don't expect you to trust me again, even if I didn't betray you, but I trust you because you're different from every other human I've seen. You didn't kill me when you had the chance, you decided to get to know me and me to you. And you only asked to use me once and I went along with it to help but things back in balance." Senshi turned away, "I know you're gonna say I'm a fool for trusting you, but you're the only person I could ever trust right now."

"..." Jack was speechless at the confession, not sure what to say. He could feel he was getting closer to the dragon again, with Senshi being so open with him, but it would still take a while before they were on good terms again as they had been before. As it was, he rested a hand on the digimon's body and smiled when Senshi glanced at him.

"Thanks. For everything."

"No problem." Senshi smiled back.

* * *

"Why do you keep visiting us? Don't you know we don't like you?"

"Shut up, you pathetic excuse for a handbag."

"HEY!"

"Wuya, be nice to him!" Jack snapped, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Once again Wuya had come over and now she was arguing with Senshi, who was now back to being a Ryudamon. He was starting to suspect that his first mentor and his best living friend were never going to get along. Ever. The witch huffed and threw her hair over her shoulder.

"Only because I've seen what that handbag can do." she agreed, irritated. Senshi frowned.

"You have no idea what I'm capable of."

"Oh really?" Wuya summoned balls of green fire into her hands, "Wanna bet?" Senshi growled.

"Try me."

"Jackbots!" Instantly three robots flew into the two, two preoccupying Wuya and one with Senshi, "Take them upstairs so they don't bother me!"

"Yes sir." Wuya rolled her eyes but complied while Senshi trudged along after the robots. Once they were upstairs, the lab's door locked behind them and the Jackbots dispersed. They stared at each other before Wuya sighed and made her way into the living room.

"Honestly, I don't know why he still keeps _you_ around." Wuya grumbled.

"I'm actually a _friend_ to him, unlike you or Chase." Senshi followed her, "What I don't get is why he still tolerates you. You may know each other but that doesn't mean he should still think of you well."

"I'm sure he doesn't." Wuya sat on the couch and examined her nails, "Do you know why he respects me, dragon?"

"'Respect' is such a strong word, but go on."

"I told you how I was trapped in the puzzle box, right? Well, since I was stuck as a ghost and I couldn't do anything, I was forced to become his teacher so that I could gather the Shen Gong Wu. If I had to be honest, Jack would've been a wonderful evil overlord if he'd just win more, but he always kept being held back for some reason." Senshi glanced at her, confused.

"What reason?" Wuya looked at the digimon and he could see true confusion in her eyes as well as sincerity.

"I have no idea. He was clearly in pain but wouldn't tell me what was wrong." She went back to her nails, "I learned to ignore it, just like how I came to ignore how he never matches his socks." Senshi gave a slow nod. He'd seen that for himself. Suddenly there was a small hiss and they looked over to the entrance to the living room, only to see Wakebot slinking away.

"What was..?" Wuya shook her head, "Nevermind, I _don't_ wanna know."

"It's best you don't." Senshi agreed, "But I always thought he was scared of you."

"Oh, he is, but he also respects me because of how I was the one to bring him into this world, this fight between good and evil. He wanted to rule the world before I came along but I gave him a means of achieving it. If only he'd grow up a little and do something to accomplish that instead of building robots all day." She shook her head, "If only he'd stayed evil."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sure he's told you about the Yin-Yang Yoyos, right?" When Senshi nodded, she went on, "He went into the Yin-Yang World once and left his Good Chi behind and became pure evil, but he got that Good Chi back after a certain incident. If he'd never had that in him, he probably wouldn't have tried to join the Xiaolin."

"I heard about that. Did he really try?"

"I don't know, but I think he only did it to steal the Wu, and yet, after that, he was always a little sore on the subject. I never learned if he really tried to be a good guy, but at least he's back on the Heylin side." Wuya glanced away, "The same can't be said for Raimundo or the other monks." Senshi eyebrows shot up, or as much as they could on his helmeted face.

"They tried to be evil?"

"Raimundo did. Omi was tricked into it by Chase, Clay was possessed by Sibini, and Kimiko was only evil after using the Yoyos, so none of them truly count." Wuya gave a huff, "If it wasn't for his so-called 'friends,' I would've ruled the world with Raimundo by my side and no one would be standing in my way, certainly not Jack." Senshi frowned.

"And why not?"

"Jack wants to rule the world and _I_ ruled it! He was so jealous he teamed up with the Xiaolin to stop me so he could be the only one ruling the world!" Wuya smiled, "I have to hand it to him, that was somewhat impressive, but he chose the wrong side." She frowned, "If it hadn't been for Dashi or the puzzle box again, I would've ruled the world and there would be no more Xiaolin Warriors or Jack Spicer."

"So you tried to kill him?" Wuya shrugged.

"He threw his lot in with the wrong side. He tried begging to be with me again but I knew him, I didn't give him the chance. Originally they were gonna rot away but nope, they decided to break out and be little shits." She barely missed getting impaled by a katana. It stuck in the couch cushion behind her, vibrating slightly from the force. Senshi was growling.

"I think you've overstayed your welcome again. _Leave_."

"Very well, but I dare you to ask Jack about all that." She smiled, snapped her fingers, and disappeared. Senshi sat there for a moment then double-checked that she was gone before returning to Jack's side. The albino was still working on his latest project, which he had refused to tell the digimon until it was finished. He had completely abandoned the previous one for this new one, which he'd started right after Impmon left. Senshi had the feeling it had something to do with the electronics all going dark after the monster's appearance.

"She's gone, I'm guessing?" Jack asked as he heard Senshi jump down the steps.

"Yeah, but I wanna ask you a few things..." And so the dragon recounted his conversation with the witch. By the end of it, Jack was rubbing the bridge of his nose again.

"Grudge against her increasing twofold..." he murmured, then said, "Look, I'm not gonna deny anything she says nor am I gonna confirm it except for the fact that yes, she was my first teacher about all this Xiaolin-Heylin-Wu stuff. I didn't meet any other real Heylin baddie until Chase and that was over a year after the whole journey started. I really don't like her but I don't hate her, I only somewhat fear her, and I do respect her." Jack turned to a cabinet on the other side of the room and crossed to it, going on, "And I wish she hadn't told you about the sock thing."

"Jack, I live with you. I knew about the sock thing before she ever said it."

"Then why don't you tell me to wear the right socks?"

"I'm not your mom, I'm your friend, and if you wanna wear your socks that way it's fine with me." Jack rolled his eyes and opened the cabinet.

"I _don't _wanna wear them like this, Senshi. I'd rather have them be the same colors, matching and all."

"Then why don't you?"

"Ever heard of colorblindness?" Jack asked, pulling out a frowning metal mask and a cylinder. The dragon blinked.

"What?"

"Colorblindness is basically where you can't see certain colors, they just look like black or white or whatever to you, not the colors they should." Jack made his way back to the table and took his goggles off, "Put these on while I keep explaining."

"Okay..." Senshi slipped the swirling goggles over his eyes and now saw the world in a swirl of red and yellow. He squinted, "How do you see like this?" Jack chuckled.

"By being colorblind. I'm red-green colorblind, so I can't really see red, green, brown, or orange, so instead of seeing a red swirl I don't really make it out from the yellow and it doesn't bother me."

"So that's why you put on different socks: you can't tell what color they are because they all look the same to you."

"Exactly." Jack nodded. He slipped on the frowning mask and fiddled with the cylinder and a hose that came out of it, "Stand back." Senshi did so and yelped when a jet of bluish flame erupted from the hose, hissing and spitting like an angry snake. It was so surprising that it caused the digimon to float in the air and the light was so strong, even through the goggles, that Senshi had to squint his eyes. Jack then went back to working on his project, which seemed to be another robot, and Senshi watched, turning away every so often to rest his eyes. When Jack would pause, the albino would continue talking, saying, "Even with your betrayal, I trust you way more than most of the people I know, Heylin or Xiaolin. You're the only one who knows about my neuropathy and now my colorblindness. You have no idea how much trust it takes for me to reveal such things to someone as these. I mean, not even Chase or Wuya or the Warriors know and they're the ones I'm always around. You heard from Wuya herself how she didn't know about the neuropathy or my colorblindness." During a break, Jack turned to Senshi, raising his mask, "I both trust you the most and don't trust you much at all, Senshi. Be grateful and glad that I'm so willing to share so much with you that no one else knows. I really don't have anyone ese to turn to you except for my robots and you, and I don't wanna lose any more friends." With that, Jack went back to using the fire on the robot. Senshi focused on him for a time, then back on his project. He knew Jack was right about all that, and yet… He felt a bubble of pride settle in his chest, that out of everyone he knew, Jack trusted only Senshi with such secrets. And there was no way Senshi was betraying such things, even if he'd really never betrayed Jack in the first place.

* * *

That night, Senshi sat on the bed, waiting for Jack. He had nothing on his mind to ask the teenager but he wanted to show Jack how much he trusted him. If Jack could trust Senshi so much, then Senshi should trust Jack just as much, right? He nodded to himself at this thought, then tilted his head. Jack was singing in the shower, he heard. Jack may have showered a lot but it was rare when he sang in there and Senshi liked to enjoy it.

"_Teenagers scare the livin' shit outta me! They could care less as long as someone'll bleed!_" Jack crooned. In all honesty, to Senshi, Jack seemed to have a lot of hidden talents. Singing, however, wasn't one of them. It was still enjoyable, though, because it was something Jack liked to do and so Senshi liked it (or as much as he could before his ears began to bleed). The exception to the rule was Jack's rapping. The dragon was taken out of his thoughts when the water shut off and Jack came out a minute later, rubbing his hair and in his boxers. That caused Senshi to think about something.

"If you're colorblind, then how can you tell what dye you need or when you need to dye your hair again?"

"Jackbots usually help me." Jack said, sitting on the bed, "I can still tell when it gets lighter by myself, y'know."

"I see." Senshi moved a put his back to Jack. The albino raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing?"

"I want you to brush my ponytail." Senshi glanced back.

"You've never needed it before."

"You gave me trust, now I give you trust." Jack stared at him. Senshi stared back. Jack lifted a hand to hold the small ponytail. Senshi turned away. There was nothing for a moment, then Jack reached over, grabbed his comb from his nightstand, then undid Senshi's ponytail. The dragon closed his eyes as Jack combed, trusting the teenager.

"...Senshi, you have no idea how much this means to me." Jack muttered, "Having you in my life is a godsend. You've made my life a whole lot better, even after all this that's gone down. When I made you leave, that was the first time I felt depressed again since you came into my life."

"Depressed?" Jack nodded, even though the digimon couldn't see it.

"It's like being sad but it's really intense. It makes you think about things you _really_ don't wanna think about. That's kinda why Wuya was there. Besides trying to apologize for Mala Mala Jong, she wanted to keep an eye on me, make sure I was okay."

"Really?"

"Yeah. If there's anything I can say about our relationship, it's that it's complicated. We respect each other, she taught me a lot of what I know about being Heylin, I fear her, she cares for me, it's just all over the place." Jack glanced away, "She may be a bitch, but we still mean something to one another. It's complicated, but it's what we have." Senshi gave a small nod.

"I understand." Quiet came down on them once again. Once Jack was done and put Senshi's ponytail up again, Jack got dressed for bed. When he laid down, Senshi put his head on the albino's chest and Jack smiled. The redhead rested an arm on the digimon's back as he reached over to grab a book to read. This was strangely comforting for him, having his friend so close.

* * *

_**Notes:**_

_**Jack's colorblindness is somewhat mentioned on the show, though we really don't don't if he's colorblind or not. I took it and and ran with it, though.**_

_**Even though Wuya legitimately has tried to kill Jack before, I think that she still cares about him somewhat, like maybe as a little brother or something.**_


	11. Steel-Studded Heart

Heylin Dragon

By: Aubrie1234

* * *

"You know why I have a bad attitude about betrayals?"

"No, why?"

"Because Chase fucking threw me to a dinosaur."

"Are you still incensed about that?"

"Ah!" Jack whipped around and Senshi growled. Chase felt tempted to roll his eyes but resisted. Once he realized who it was, Jack snarled, "Of course I'm still incensed! You would be too if you were thrown by the guy you looked up to into the jaws of a monster that could eat you in one bite!"

"You were fine."

"Barely! What are you even doing here?" Chase glanced at the digimon.

"I wanted to talk to Senshi. In private, if possible."

"If you're planning on doing something to him-"

"You know I am an honorable man, Spicer. I promise not to hurt him." Jack glanced at Senshi. The dragon nodded, putting his trust in Chase, and so Jack nodded back.

"Fine. But the second something happens, expect to be blasted." Jack watched them go up the stairs before nervously going back to his project. Senshi hopped onto the kitchen counter as Chase joined him.

"What's this about?" asked the dragon.

"I thought about our conversation a week ago and I have come to the conclusion that your words have merit."

"What words?"

"That I care about Spicer." The only sign that Chase was uncomfortable was the slight narrowing of his eyes, "Tell no one of this or you will be killed."

"Got it. But why are you telling me?"

"There is no way I am telling Wuya, Hannibal, or the Warriors and certainly not Jack." Senshi tilted his head.

"And why not? If you care about him-"

"I do not care about him in the way you may think. He is not only a friend to me." Chase shook his head, "You would not understand." He stepped away from the counter and headed to the outside door.

"Wait!" Chase paused, "Why don't you try? Are you scared?"

"I am not scared. I only know for certain that he would reject me." As soon as he stepped out the door, Chase was gone. Senshi sighed before heading downstairs.

"You okay? He didn't try to trick you, did he?"

"No." Senshi sat on the chair in front of the computer as Jack glanced at him.

"You're certain?"

"Yeah, only..." Senshi paused. He couldn't go behind Chase's back.

"What? What'd he say?" Jack turned to him. Senshi shook his head.

"He made me promise not to say. It's not a bad thing, he just had to tell it to me."

"Why you? Doesn't he trust me or Wuya?" Jack sounded sad. Senshi hopped out of the chair and trotted over to hug Jack's waist.

"Of course he does, but this was something from back when you had me leave." Senshi looked up at the teenager, "You get it?"

"Yeah, I guess. Doesn't make it feel any better, though." Jack rubbed Senshi's head then went back to work. Senshi returned to the chair. However, sometimes Jack would pause and Senshi wondered if he was about to say something, but then he'd go back to the robot. It was slowly irritating the dragon until he finally asked what was wrong. Jack sighed, "I really care about Chase, okay?"

"As a friend?"

"Kinda." Jack dragged a hand through his hair, "It's more than that. I don't think you understand what romance is, do you?"

"I do." Jack glanced up.

"Really?"

"We may not have parents, but digimon know about romance." Senshi spoke, "Are you in love with Chase?"

"Yeah, a bit." Jack blushed, which stood out against his white skin.

"Huh." _So I was right._ "Are you ever-?"

"No fucking way. He'd laugh at me before feeding me to his cats." The albino shivered, "Confessing isn't worth getting eaten alive. Plus I'm still mad at him about the whole T-Rex thing." Senshi nodded. He understood that even though he thought they were both being idiots.

"Well, if you ever need any help with him, I'm always here."

"Which is literally a godsend." Jack smiled at him and Senshi smiled back.

* * *

Senshi growled as the alarms blared. It was the middle of the night, why didn't the Warriors seem to get that even the bad guys needed their beauty sleep? Jack groaned and pulled a pillow over his head before throwing it off angrily.

"Jackbots, don't engage them but keep them out of my room!" he ordered. The robots saluted him before flying away. Senshi sighed.

"You know it's no use in keeping them out."

"Yeah, but shouldn't they be asleep too? We're in the same time zone, it shouldn't be that hard!"

"Tell that to them." Senshi covered his eyes as he laid his head on Jack's chest. Despite the growing muscle, the teenage genius' chest was surprisingly comfortable. It was only when a Jackbot informed them that the Warriors were heading upstairs that they decided to get out of bed. Standing in the hallway, Jack yawned as the four trudged up the stairs with a sleepy Dojo, who was also trying to nap on Clay's hat.

"There you are, Jack Spicer! Spoon over the Wu!"

"It's fork over the Wu, dude."

"That too."

"Chromedome, can't you see that we were fast asleep?" Jack grumbled, "Come back when I actually feel like giving a shit."

"Hey, if you don't care, then we'll just raid the mansion." Kimiko shrugged. Jack glared at her.

"Steal any of my stuff and my Jackbots will be on your asses in seconds. You're in my territory, my rules."

"If you say so." All of the Warriors were smug and Jack itched to wipe it off their faces by having his newest and strongest Jackbots throw them out. Instead, he nodded to Senshi and the dragon held up the Wu that they'd taken with them. The Warriors' eyes widened.

"Wait-!"

"_Shard of Lightning!_" Instantly all time stopped around them. Jack and Senshi grinned at one another.

"If you'll do the honors." Jack gestured.

"My pleasure." Senshi kicked them all off the balcony before time started again and the four dropped to the floor. The dragon and his human friend glared at the four teens below them as Dojo looked around sleepily.

"What? What'd I miss?"

"Us getting our butts kicked." Clay groaned.

"What I don't get is why Jack has a dragon friend." said Kimiko, "I thought dragons were supposed to be the good guys!"

"I am a good guy!" Senshi chirped, "You're all just assholes!"

"Nice one!" Jack snickered.

"Well, it's true. Out of all of you, Jack's the only one who's actually made an effort to be nice to me, unlike you weasels."

"HEY!" cried the Xiaolin, even though they guiltily knew it was true.

"If we were nice to you, would you join us?" asked Omi.

"Suck it, Cheeseball." This had Jack cackling again.

"Oh, you're the best!" He hugged the digimon.

"Trying to be nice just to get me on your side isn't gonna work because I know what you've been like to Jack and that's not exactly something I like, y'know?" Senshi drawled once Jack let him go, "Actually change your ways for good and be nice to Jack and I might consider it. But until then, scram! Ryudamon digivolve to... Ginryumon! _Metal Armor Blade!_" The daggers that poured out of his mouth sent the Warriors running. Once they were off the grounds, Senshi dedigivolved and yawned. Jack smiled and picked up the dragon under the arms, finding him to not be as heavy as he appeared, and carried the digimon like a baby back to their room. Senshi didn't resist and just leaned into Jack, happy to have such a friend.

* * *

The next time they saw the Warriors was the next day in Canada, fighting for another Wu. This time it was just Jack against Clay, the Eye of Dashi vs the Thorn of Thunderbolt. It was a challenge of falling, for whoever reached the ground first lost. They were fighting over what appeared to be a baseball bat covered in large red balls, almost like balloons. In the beginning, Clay seemed to have an advantage, taking out any rock that Jack dared to stand on, but then Jack was shocking him off his own pillars and eventually Clay was the first to reach the ground, allowing Jack to get the new Wu. Senshi cheered for the albino goth, somewhat glad. Seriously, Jack might be turning him evil if he thought sticking it to some snot-nosed teens was fun. But then again, the Xiaolin kinda deserved it.

"More Wu for me and the Xiaolin Losers got their asses handed to 'em! Today is a good day." Jack sighed happily as he and Senshi walked back to the jet.

"Well, you can only take so much humiliation. I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to get back at us sooner or later."

"Good point, but we'll burn that bridge when we get to it."

"What?"

"It's a combination of sayings. 'We'll cross that bridge when we get to it' and 'burning your bridges.' Combining sayings like that makes it a malaphor."

"I keep learning more and more new things about this world because of you..." Senshi shook his head.

"Well, it wasn't really a challenge." Jack admitted, "I tend to win Showdowns more often if its a snow sport or I'm using my robots or metallic Wu. I've made whole charts about it."

"Then that must mean you're good with metal." Jack shrugged.

"I build robots for a living. I've also been shocked more times than I can count. I honestly wouldn't be surprised, especially if..." Jack trailed off. Senshi glanced at his face and found him frowning. Senshi frowned back.

"If?"

"It's nothing." Jack shook his head, "Let's just go home." They reached the jet and he climbed in. Senshi paused, wondering what Jack was getting at, but decided it wasn't the time. He hopped in and soon enough they were flying back to China.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"I know it's been a while, but how do you feel?"

"You mean with the whole neuropathy thing?" Jack watched the dragon nod in the rearview mirror. He grinned, "Awesome, honestly. Everyday I don't have to worry about accidentally getting hurt or something because it doesn't act up. I feel as high as a kite now!"

"So you feel great?"

"Yep, though there's one thing that's kinda nagging at me. I think it might just be the hole where I was worried all the time about my neuropathy." Jack shrugged, "No more worry equals less stress, which I honestly kinda need, dealing with the Warriors all the time."

"That's good." Senshi was silent again as they continued back to the lab. However, when they arrived, Senshi started growling. He hated how people always seemed to be waiting when they returned and now was no exception.

"Hah! I _knew_ you were hiding something!" Ashley proclaimed. Jack made a squawking sound.

"Damnit! _Why_ do you have to be so snoopy?!" Jack kept Senshi behind him, hoping Ashley would leave things be for once.

"Ever heard of 'curiosity killed the cat-'"

"Yeah-"

"'-but satisfaction brought it back?'" Ashley gave Jack a smug look, "I'd sure love to know what's going on with that little dragon, 'cause I didn't think you had any friends."

"Low blow, Ashley."

"It's _Katnappé_." she insisted, "And you don't care that you don't have any friends, it hasn't bothered you before."

"Just leave us alone, you know I've got a dragon friend that I've been hiding from you, so what?" Jack crossed his arms, "Fuck off already."

"Tsk tsk tsk, that's no way to treat a girl, Jackie." Jack growled and it was about then that Senshi decided to step in. He moved in front of Jack, still growling and glaring at Ashley.

"Senshi, no-" Jack tried tugging the digimon back but Senshi didn't budge.

"Looking for a fight?" Ashley purred, "Then let's see how you face off with my kitties!" Three white kittens jumped out of her bag and started attacking Senshi. Much to the humans' surprise, Senshi completely ignored their scratching and biting and advanced on Ashley. The teen girl hissed and tried to slash at the dragon, catching him on the helmet, but Senshi was having none of it. The jewel in his helmet began to glow yellow before he leapt at Ashley.

"_Kabutogaeshi!_" He kicked at Ashley and sent her flying into a cabinet. The kittens renewed their attacks more viciously and Senshi prepared to deal the finishing blow when Jack intervened.

"Stop!" The redhead stepped between Ashley and Senshi, "I may be a bad guy but I don't want anyone getting killed here!" He gave the dragon a pointed look before helping Ashley to her feet. There was a small gash on her side, cutting through her costume, but it didn't seem to be deep.

"Thanks." Ashley winced and put a hand on her wound. The kittens ceased their frenzy before returning to their master, whining and pushing against her feet, wondering if she was okay, "I'm fine, jet get back in my bag." The kittens gave one last hiss to the dragon before following her orders Jack called over one of his robots and had it grab some medical supplies. Senshi tried to approach but one Jackbot blocked his path. Senshi was led back to the stairs as Jack had Ashley sit on the lab table to help her.

"If you think about taking off my shirt-"

"Then I'll have to crop-top it, do you want that?"

"I can live with that." A Jackbot used its claws to cut away some of Ashley's costume to let Jack work.

"Jack-"

"Don't say anything." The redhead gave Senshi a glare, "I understand you were trying to protect me, but next time, ease off a little, will ya?" He then went back to helping Ashley. The blonde girl stuck her tongue out at the dragon and Senshi resisted the urge to growl. What was she playing at? There was more to this than just figuring out about Senshi and the dragon didn't like it one bit. He was forced to stay by the stairs, however, even as Jack moved past him to get some supplies from the bathroom.

"Well, this is turning out real great!" Ashley said, still sticking out her tongue.

"What do you want?" Senshi snapped.

"Oh, nothing~!"

"_Katana-!_" The Jackbot clamped its claws around the digimon's snout. Ashley snorted, then winced.

"Okay, no laughing." Senshi jerked out of the robot's grip.

"Tell me what's going on!"

"None of your business, handbag."

"If you're trying to do something about Jack, then don't." Senshi growled, "I'm gonna protect him no matter what you do." Ashley snorted.

"I'm not trying to _hurt_ him, I just want him to actually _see_ me."

"'See' you? What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're a dragon, you wouldn't understand." Senshi began growling again and the Jackbot tried to keep him from attacking Ashley for the second time.

"If I'm so dumb, then it doesn't hurt to tell me, does it?" Senshi drawled.

"And I'm not that stupid." It was then that Jack came back. After wrapping Ashley up, he bid her good-day before throwing her out.

"Honestly, does she think I don't fucking see it?" Jack grumbled as he returned to his lab after escorting Ashley to the front door.

"What's wr-"

"Don't you start." Senshi shut his mouth. Jack continued on, "I like girls, sure, but I don't like her. She's a whiny bitch who has nothing more to do than take care of her cats and annoy me." He rubbed his face tiredly, "And now she knows about you. Great."

"But I thought you liked Chase?" Senshi frowned.

"It's called being biromantic. I like both genders."

"What's a gender?"

"Oh lord..." Jack put his head down on the table, "Why does Life hate me?"

* * *

_**Notes:**_

_**The newest Wu is also an original from Chronicles, called the Whoabopop.**_

_**No offense to Katnapp**_**_é, but she doesn't have a lot of interactions with Jack and so, even though it's a nice pairing, I don't think there's much merit to it._**

**_There is some evidence to Jack liking both genders, if you consider that he once tried to flirt with Kimiko in _Chameleon_. Here's my headcanon on that: At the beginning of the series, Jack had no idea what gender he liked and he thought Kimiko looked cute, so he flirted with her. When she clearly shot that down, he respected that, especially since she was on the enemy side, and so left her alone, though he does make flirty comments sometimes without meaning to. However, upon meeting Chase, Jack's hero worship slowly turned into love and so he's tried to keep it in check by being somewhat annoying to Chase, thinking that the overlord wouldn't like him back. And yes, I meant 'biromantic' instead of 'bisexual' because there's a difference._**

**_Everyone knows that Jack becoming the Dragon of Metal is a scrapped idea from the series, right? Well, it's going to get some merit in this story and there will be explanations why later on. Not now because I don't wanna confess too much, but things are gonna happen._**

**_No, Senshi isn't turning evil, but he does like to put the Xiaolin in their place, since the group has gotten decayed over the course of the series. They have just not been nice to Jack and it gets worse as the series goes on. Season 1 to the end of the 3-parter connecting to Season 2 was always the best in my opinion (with the exception of adding in Chase)._**

**_Originally things were supposed to get really bad in this chapter and turn it toward where I wanted it to go, but I didn't feel like it was close enough to that point yet and so you get a filler chapter! Still feels a ways off from what I want it at, so there'll probably be other chapters filling in that gap soon._**

**_EDIT: Megan is Jack's cousin, not Ashley. Yes, Ashley first appeared trying to avoid the party, but I don't think she's related to Jack._**


	12. Suicidal-Crazed Lions

Heylin Dragon

By: Aubrie1234

* * *

Senshi sat beside Jack in silence. Ever since what had happened with Ashley a few days ago, Jack had been more distant from him and Senshi could understand that, but he wished Jack would stop being so spiteful. He didn't speak, only handing Jack whatever tools he needed. When he did, he'd get a pat on the head. At least it was something. Suddenly the Wu Detector began to beep and Senshi looked to Jack.

"Stay here." Senshi nodded and watched Jack leave, followed by a host of Jackbots. Senshi didn't lay down on the floor until he was sure Jack was gone. It was lonely without the albino around, honestly. After a few minutes he got tired of it and decided to grab something to eat. As he strode to the stairs, something caught his eye. Back-tracking a little, he went to one of the cabinets. It was cracked open, somewhat unusual, since Jack liked to keep his lab locked up in case of snooping people, i.e. Wuya, the Xiaolin, etc. He sniffed the cabinet but there was no strange smell and so nudged the door open, curious. Inside were what looked like four Jackbots, but of a different design. They had single wheels and lacked black highlights, being only bronze and silver with goggle-shaped red eyes. All were deactivated. Senshi sniffed them for a moment but there was no scent of oil or smoke from them, indicating they hadn't been active for a long time, if ever. Senshi closed the cabinet and went back to finding some food. He'd ask Jack about the robots when the albino returned. And when he did come back, Jack was giddy.

"They didn't know what hit 'em!" he exclaimed, holding a shard of glass shaped like a rooster. He accessed the safe and handed it to the robot arm to put inside. Once the safe was closed, Senshi, who had been sitting on the table with a sandwich in his paws, spoke up.

"Hey, uh, one of your cabinets was open earlier."

"Oh?" Jack glanced around, "Which one?"

"That one." Senshi pointed it out. Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Oh. That one." Jack went over and double-checked the locks on it, "Looks like this needs to be replaced. Did you look inside?"

"I didn't touch anything."

"I know you didn't." A Jackbot hovered over to hand the teenage genius a padlock. As Jack secured the cabinet again, he said, "What you saw, those were my first four prototypes before I finally got the Jackbots hovering and fighting. I don't have the heart to dismantle them, so I just keep them here."

"I see." Senshi nodded and went back to his sandwich. Jack glanced at the dragon, smiled, then went back to work on his project. Senshi wanted to speak up and ask why Jack wasn't finished with the robot yet but decided against it. Jack noticed the curious look on Senshi's face and rubbed the digimon's back.

"I understand you don't wanna make me mad again and I'm still kinda mad at you, but you don't have to walk on eggshells around me. I'm not gonna order you away again, I'm not gonna hurt you. In all honesty, you're the one who could kill me if something happens." Jack murmured, "I'm gonna admit that, as much as I'm comfortable around you, you scare me sometimes. You could literally stab me in the back and that terrifies me, but I try not to show it because I understand that you won't, you're not like that."

"Jack…"

"It's not your fault, it's just me and how I see you. You're a dragon, a little creature I let into my home, but I'm trying to not be so scared about it. I mean, I even let you sleep in my bed with me as a way for me to get more comfortable with you. It's never your fault, buddy." Senshi couldn't help but feel guilty about it all, though, and he looked the same as he felt.

"I… I don't mean to scare you." Jack sighed and hugged the digimon.

"I know buddy, but I love you just the same. Tonight, we're sleeping together, just you and me. When you put your head on my chest like that, it actually feels really nice. You're like a giant little heater, y'know?" He pulled away, "I care a lot about you and I'm doing my best to get over my fear and so far I'm succeeding. I just need you to keep doing what you're doing so we can work on that."

"Okay, I'll try." Senshi still looked so sad and Jack rubbed his head.

"Trust me. I'm trying so hard to trust you, trust that you won't hurt me, so trust that I know what I'm doing."

"Alright…" Senshi still didn't look convinced but Jack let it go. It was progress, at least.

* * *

When they went for the next Wu, there was no one to meet them, which left the duo suspicious. Someone should've been there to fight them, but there was no one. Senshi sniffed the air before shaking his head.

"No one's here except us."

"I don't like this, but I'm not gonna complain. C'mon." Jack activated his helipack and Senshi floated after him. They were in an underground temple and high above, on a pedestal on top of a large flight of stairs, was the Wu. It looked like a blue and gold crystal wand. Jack grabbed it and looked around nervously.

"I can't believe it." said the redhead, "Where the hell are the Warriors? Dojo picks up on the Wu as soon as they activate, why aren't they here?" He shook his head, "Let's just go." They flew away, yet Senshi couldn't help but feel that something was going on. After returning home and putting the Wu away, Jack went back to work and the digimon asked, "What's that one gonna do, anyway?"

"This?" He gestured to the humanoid robot, "Well, you know how I started it when Impmon came by?"

"Yeah?"

"I thought about it and I think that I came up with something that can cancel out the interference stronger digimon give off, but I'm not finished and I haven't been able to test it yet."

"Will it hurt?"

"Hurt?" Jack blinked, "What do you mean?"

"Will it hurt me? I'm a digimon too and we don't mean to give off that interference, so will it hurt?" Jack frowned.

"I don't know, honestly." He glanced at his project, "Now I don't think I can finish it."

"Don't say that! I don't know if it'll hurt and I was just pointing that out. You should finish it, just in case."

"In case of what?" Senshi glanced away.

"I told you how lots of digimon hate humans because of what happened? One could come in like Impmon did and I don't know if I could handle it. If I can't, you should have a way to defend yourself. Your Jackbots'll be useless if the interference comes in."

"Good point, but I don't want you getting hurt. I'll at least finish the robot, okay?"

"Okay." Senshi nodded. He felt only slightly better.

* * *

After the third Wu activated in as many days, Senshi was beginning to think something was up, but Jack assured him that the Wu could do this sometimes as they flew to the next location.

"One time four activated at the same time, then there was this whole stash that activated. It just happens and the Shen Gong Wu have minds of their own sometimes."

"Really?"

"Really. One, the Heylin Comet makes them come alive whenever it passes. Two, Mala Mala Jong is only made of Wu. Three, well, do I even need a third example?" Senshi shook his head.

"Why do you even keep going after the Wu?"

"I help keep the balance, don't I?" Jack grinned. Senshi rolled his eyes.

"Don't use my words against me, dumbass." Jack shrugged and continued flying the jet to the Wu, "And _I'm_ the one who keeps the balance here, not you. You're evil, Chase is evil, the Xiaolin are probably evil too even if they don't know it, and I'm stuck in the middle." Senshi stuck out his tongue, "It's not fun being the 'mon in the middle."

"Hey, you don't have to be here if you don't want to." Jack said, "You could leave at any time."

"And let you get yourself killed? No thank you."

"I wouldn't get myself killed."

"The Warriors would tear you apart as soon as look at you and Chase would do the same if you insulted him, which I'm sure you do on a daily basis. It's a wonder how you weren't dead before we met." Jack rolled his eyes.

"As much as this may shock you, I know how to survive in this fight. I was the first besides the monks to get in on this race for the Wu, I've been in since the beginning, so I know a few tricks. And now that I'm able to learn martial arts, that gives me another advantage. The more advantages I have the better." The redhead laid a hand on one of the straps of his helipack, "I've always had to get by through my robots and I've managed, but until you came along, I thought about dropping out of the race altogether. You're not wrong in saying that I should be dead already, and I probably would have if I kept it up without you. Senshi, my fatal flaw is that I don't know when to quit. Without you, that would've likely been the death of me or at least injured me to the point I finally got the hint and got out of the game. I mean, at one point, the Warriors attacked me for no reason other than to take trophies to prove that they 'won' against me." Jack gave a growl, "And yet, after all that, I'd still like to try being friends."

"Why?" Senshi was very confused about this. Who would still want to be friends with them after all that's happened?

"You know how you heard I was once with the good guys, trying to fit in? In all honesty, if I hadn't swiped from them, I probably would've made a good monk. But I love being evil because I don't have to feel bad about getting back at people for hurting me. It's kinda justified if I'm being evil."

"Is it really?"

"Of course it is. It never bothered me if I stole or damaged anything as long as I got what I wanted, and what I want right now is… Well…" Jack shook his head, "I don't really know what I want, only that you stay with me. You're the only living friend I've got and I don't know what I'd do without you."

"That's a nice thing to say." Jack rolled his eyes.

"I've said it once and I'll say it again: Bad guys can be nice sometimes, it doesn't have to be so surprising."

"If you say so." Senshi sing-songed. Jack sighed.

"Why do I care about you again?"

"Because you're like that."

"Unfortunately."

* * *

Senshi yawned and stretched after waking up, careful not to disturb Jack. After they'd snagged a dragonfly-like Wu with no interference from the Warriors, they'd gone to bed early. He looked over at Jack, noting how the sun was starting to rise outside. Usually the genius was up before him. Curious, Senshi used his senses to sniff and listen.

"I know you're awake." he said. Jack gave a small groan, covering his face with a pillow.

"Go away."

"Is something wrong?"

"Go away." Jack repeated. The dragon frowned. Settling down beside Jack again, he said nothing. Eventually the human lifted the pillow and glared at Senshi. He lacked his makeup so the dark circles were plain to see.

"Is this what you were talking about? Depression?"

"Yeah, now go away." Jack growled. He buried his face in the pillow, refusing to look at the dragon. Senshi had never dealt with this before and knew little on how to handle it, but he knew he couldn't let Jack stay stuck in sadness forever. Hearing the door open, he turned to see the door. It was a Jackbot.

"Master Jack is not up yet?" it asked. Senshi shook his head.

"Depression." The robot made an 'affirmative' noise.

"I see." It left. Senshi turned back to Jack. He started humming, thinking singing to the human may help. If he could make his friend happy again, that would beat the depression, right?

"Do I have to tell you to fuck off?" Jack said. Senshi ignored him before launching into _Trees_. What that didn't seem to work, Senshi ran through _Teenagers_, _The Phoenix_, _Lying Is The Most Fun…_ without breaking a sweat. He didn't know MCR, FOB, or Panic as well as he did for TOP but he knew Jack liked those songs. He hoped he hadn't messed them up. Finally, as he sang through them, Jack was looking at him, cracking a small smile.

"Nice screeching." said the genius.

"Hey, _someone's_ gotta have your back." Senshi nudged his head against Jack's chest. The albino rubbed it. The Jackbot then returned, carrying what looked like to be a pill bottle. Senshi sniffed it as the robot handed it to Jack.

"Your pills, sir."

"Thanks, JB-52." Jack opened the bottle and swallowed two of the pills.

"What's that you're taking?"

"Depression meds. They help when I get low like this, but I don't need them much." Jack continued rubbing Senshi's head, "Thanks for your help."

"I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

"Be lucky you only saw the edge of it."

"The edge?" asked Senshi. Jack nodded.

"Depression is different for everyone but it can get really bad sometimes. Sometimes the thought of suicide is a better way out than facing Life, but that's why I listen to TOP. If they made it, then why can't I? '_Life has a hopeful undertone'_ indeed."

"Suicide?" Jack's face dropped.

"Pray to whatever you believe in that you never learn what suicide is." Jack pat Senshi's head before standing up, "I'm gonna go get ready. You head down to the lab, okay?"

"Okay..." Senshi sounded unsure.

"I'll be okay." Jack jerked a thumb over to JB-52, "I'll be watched. They know how to cheer me up just fine." Senshi seemed to take that as an acceptable answer and left the room. Jack sighed. The robot laid a clawed hand on his shoulder.

"Is there anything you need, Master Jack?"

"No, I'm okay." Jack rubbed his face tiredly, "The meds'll kick in in a few minutes. Just c'mon and help me." He ventured to the bathroom to freshen up.

* * *

Jack kept a hand on the railing as he walked down to the stairs. JB-52 continued to hover at his side, always within hand's reach. When he got depressed, they stayed close in case they were needed. Only on the rarest of occasions did they have to intervene and he could count those incidents on one hand. At least his parents never had to see it, not like they ever paid attention in the first place. Jack frowned after opening the basement door.

"Don't you guys turn the lights on when I get up?"

"Yes sir."

"Hmm…"Jack reached for the light switch. He had been meaning to change to clap-activated lights.

"Hold it right there!" A spotlight turned on in the lab, shining on the table and Senshi, "Presenting to you from the Digital World: Senshi, the Dancing Digimon!"

"What?" was all Jack could say. Senshi then began to twirl about with a ribbon in claw and two Jackbots were his backup dancers. Jack's jaw dropped. JB-52 moved a clawed hand to close it.

"He set this up while you were getting ready, sir." said the robot.

"Okay?" Jack crossed his arms. He watched as the dragon twirled and twisted with the ribbon as the two Jackbots made wave motions with their arms as if they were dancing in a luau, "...I never taught them that."

"Senshi is quite the programmer." said JB-52, "We also wanted to do it."

"I see…" Jack winced when Senshi twirled so much his feet got tangled up in the ribbon and he fell off the table. The music abruptly stopped, as did the dancing Jackbots. Senshi struggled for a moment before sighing. Jack smiled at the display. The albino asked, "Why?"

"I will dance my fucking ass off if it makes you happy again." Senshi proclaimed. Jack laughed.

"Oh my lord you are such a ditz!"

"Maybe I am, but at least you're laughing. Now," Senshi strained against the ribbon again, "Could you help untie me?" Jack laughed again but made his way over. The dragon always knew how to brighten his day. With a few snips of its claws, JB-52 was able to rid the digimon of the ribbon and Senshi was soon sitting on the table. The main lights were turned on and the spotlight on the table was taken away.

"I have to ask, how did you manage to get this set up? It was only ten minutes ago that you were in the bedroom!" Senshi gave a shrug.

"Ask the Jackbots. They wanted to help make you feel better."

"They're like that." Jack grinned at JB-52. The robot nodded before floating away slightly, still close enough to intervene if need be.

"Do you feel better?"

"Definitely. Thanks, Senshi."

"No prob, Jack." The dragon's tail began thumping against the table. He cleared his throat, "_Teenagers scare the livin' shit outta me…_"

"Is that the only MCR song you know?" Senshi ignored the question and continued to sing. Jack rolled his eyes. He rubbed the digimon's head before moving to make more adjustments on his latest robot. Eventually the digimon settled down and Jack was able to get a word in, starting with, "Do you wanna know why I was depressed this morning?"

"Uh, sure. Why were you so sad?"

"Not sad, exactly. And the reason why was because I saw my Jackbot prototypes." Jack said, "I made those when I was a little kid. They remind me of a time before things went to shit. I made them before I gained my neuropathy, long before I got caught up in this war, before I knew if I wanted to be good or evil. I made them out of playfulness, not because I had something to prove. Well, except for the first one, but that's beside the point. I was reminded of when I didn't have so many things resting on my shoulders and it made me much more than sad. Do you get that?"

"A little. I know I can never understand your troubles for what they are because I'm not you, but I will stick by your side. That won't change. And in a way, I _do_ understand. My friend, the one I told you about, that I grew apart from? I miss the times I had with him and being reminded of that is enough to plunge me into depression too, or at least intense sadness. Thinking about him reminds me of what we used to have, before things changed. Sometimes, I wish I had that again. But I know I can't have it. Just like how you feel about your Jackbots."

"Thank you." Jack nodded. Even if they had been friends for less than two months, it was good to have someone on his side, that understood him and what he had to deal with, even if it was completely different.

* * *

"Where's the Wu this time?"

"Uh, Kazakhstan?"

"And where is that?"

"Middle of Asia, I think?"

"We're gonna fall out of the sky before we find this place, aren't we?"

"Hey! Trust in my flying skills for once!" Jack complained. Senshi had his head in his claws. It was a few days after Jack's waking bout of depression and another Shen Gong Wu had activated. Unfortunately for Jack, Senshi had even less confidence than before in his friend's flying ability. It didn't help that they had almost flown into a mountain on the way over. Senshi kept his claws over his eyes as Jack flew on, "Maybe we'll see the monks again this time. They've missed at least three Wu already."

"Aren't you glad they weren't there to bother us?" asked Senshi.

"A little, yeah, but it's not the same without an opponent. And as much as we might not like each other, they're better opponents than Hannibal or one of the other villains."

"I wouldn't say 'like' is the right word…" Senshi drawled, "But what if it was Wuya or Chase? They're not that bad, right?"

"Most of the time, no." Jack gave a sigh, "But Wuya can be a bitch when it comes to the Wu. And Chase isn't exactly predictable. Sometimes he's fine, but then other times he throws you to a fucking dinosaur."

"You're really not gonna let that go, are you?"

"Would you?" Jack asked.

"Good point." Senshi glanced out the window before covering his eyes again, "I wish I was the one flying us instead of you. I don't exactly like not having control over my flight."

"Just trust me, Senshi." Jack said, "I know how to fly. I've flown a lot, even before I got into this race. I may not have wings but I'm a master of the air."

"I'll be the judge of that." snorted Senshi. Much of the rest of the flight was filled with idle chatter. When they finally landed, Senshi looked around.

"All I see is grass, grass, and more grass." said the dragon.

"It's called the Kazakh Steppe. The Wu is somewhere in the general vicinity." Jack explained, syncing his phone with the Wu Detector.

"Is a steppe just grassland?"

"Essentially. It's not supposed to have any trees at all for miles. And, unfortunately, it would give the Xiaolin the advantage."

"Because of all the space, there's gotta be a lot of wind, right?"

"Bingo." Jack nodded, "So, if they approach, say away from Raimundo. And maybe Clay too. He's a cowboy so he probably knows how to use the area to his advantage."

"Right." Senshi hopped out of the jet with Jack, "There's so much grass out here. How are we supposed to find it?"

"Walk around until we trip over it, I guess." The redhead shrugged.

"We're gonna be out here for _days_."

"Hey!" Jack glared, "We've got the Wu Detector. It'll help us find it. Now let's go." They walked around the area together, following the directions of Jack's phone. Senshi wasn't anywhere near as tall as Jack, so at times he'd fly into the air so he could see past the tall grass.

"How can you fly, anyway?" the human suddenly asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, everything has to have some way of flying. I've got my propellers, birds have wings, how do you do it?"

"I dunno." Senshi shrugged, "I guess it's magic or something. I just think of flying and I fly. Doesn't Dojo do the same thing? He's a dragon, isn't he?"

"Yeah." Jack nodded, "I just didn't think about it before. Makes sense now, I- Waaah!" Jack yelped as he fell to the ground. Senshi, who had been flying, turned back to see what the trouble was. Jack had tripped over what looked to be a golden frog. Senshi cackled.

"It's not even that big and you managed to trip over it! You are such a klutz!"

"Yeah yeah, knock it off." Jack grumbled. He grabbed the frog. It was only the size of his hand and glowed with a soft yellow light until he picked it up, "What do you think it does?"

"I have no idea, I'm a digimon. I don't even know what the word is for what it looks like."

"It looks like a frog." Jack said. He looked around, "I don't see the Warriors anywhere. We would've seen them coming, wouldn't we?"

"Unless they came from underground, yeah." Senshi nodded, "I don't see why you're so worried about them not being here, though."

"It's just that it's really unusual-" Jack's eyes widened as the ground suddenly started to shake. While Senshi couldn't feel it from the air, he knew something was going on and grabbed Jack, getting him into the air just as his helipack activated. They both flew up a little and looked down as the earth cracked apart and a giant armadillo drilled itself out of the ground. Jack grinned and tucked the frog-shaped Wu into his pocket.

"Finally!"

"Hey, shouldn't we get away while we can?" Senshi reasoned.

"If you wanna be an evil villain, you gotta taunt your adversaries. It's all about the theatrics!" Senshi facepalmed.

"_How_ have you survived this long again?" Jack ignored the comment and flew down to meet the monks. Despite all his common sense telling him this was a bad idea, Senshi joined the albino. He couldn't see Dojo anywhere, though.

"Jack Spicer!" said the monks.

"Yeah, it's me! As good as it is to see you four again, it looks like you lose! Woo!"

"Not so fast, Spicer!" said Raimundo, "We'll beat you in a Showdown and be out of here with the Wu before you can get away!"

"Yeah, like I'm gonna go down there and let your guys beat me in a Showdown! I'm not stupid!"

"Or are you just afraid to lose?" Clay taunted, "You show up at a lot of places where you think you're gonna win but you really don't."

"Wrong again! I show up at all the battles that I'm certain to lose." Senshi facepalmed for the second time in as many minutes.

"You've gotta learn more threatening lines. That's not even gonna scare a mouse. It also makes you sound like a loser."

"Shut it." Jack gave the digimon a look.

"Hold it!" Kimiko cried. He glared at the boys, "Before we all get in a fight, we've been talking things over about how we've been treating you."

"Oh, that's rich!" Jack said, "You guys talking things over? It's like the apocalypse has decided to spring itself on us again! For the third time!"

"Look, we've been thinking-"

"You guys actually do that? Wow."

"Just listen." Kimiko growled before calming herself, "We thought about the last few losses we've had and what the armored dragon told us about. We've decided that we're just gonna apologize and try and start over with the animosity." Jack laughed.

"Really?! After all that's happened, you think that's all it's gonna take to get rid of all that you've done?! You people are hilarious!"

"We speak the truth, Jack Spicer!" said Omi. He made a bow, as did the other monks, "We wish to apologize for everything we have done." Jack stared at them, then shared a look with Senshi.

"...Yeah, not falling for it." Jack shook his head, "This is some ruse, isn't it? You stay away from the Wu three times to get me to have my guard down and then try to apologize just so you can grab my Wu and stuff! You guys have invaded my house, destroyed some of my possessions besides my Jackbots, have ripped a chunk of my hair off my head as a damn _trophy_, and you all expect me to forgive you? Hell no!"

"Told you this wouldn't work." Raimundo hissed, but it was loud enough for Jack and Senshi to hear. Jack bristled.

"I may be an idiot sometimes but I'm not completely stupid. Actually show me you're willing to repent and I might just give you a second chance. Senshi, let's go." Jack turned away.

"_Wind_!" There was no chance for Jack to protect himself, so Senshi got in between the redhead and the attack. Not honorable at all to attack someone when their back was turned. But he didn't even have time to summon an attack for himself, Rai was moving way too fast. The last thing he remembered was Rai's foot heading for his face.

* * *

_**Notes:**_

_**The rooster Wu is called the Rooster Booster and the frog Wu is called the Bouncy Wouncy. Both are Chronicles Wu. They were really running out of ideas, huh?**_

_**One of the main reasons why Jack likes darker music like TOP and MCR is because their music has saved lives, including his. And after all that Jack's been through, there's little in the way where he **_**hasn't_ been depressed before._**

**_The Jackbots in the cabinet are based on_ JB-1_ by StrangeMakesArt on Deviantart. In the show Jack said that he made one of his mother's juicers into a robot and the pictures depicts that Jack's first robot might've been made from the juicer, which I ran along with._**

**_So, I actually had half of this written for the longest time and finally finished it up now. Sorry for the long wait. The Warriors, while having less of a focus overall in the story, will be seen more in the next chapter. I also hope to have them in a much nicer view and actually willing to get along with Jack, but we'll see. I've also got a way to get to the end of the story now that I've finally got this chapter done, so maybe I'll be able to write on it more._**

**_Please read & review!_**


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